The Wedding Singer
by WickedSong
Summary: 'Shane shook the man's hand and just as the second man was about to speak, Mercedes turned around and the sight she was greeted with made her throat constrict.' Samcedes with MercedesxShane, SamxOC and canon couples.
1. Chapter 1

**The Wedding Singer**

**Written by WickedSong**

**Disclaimer/Note : I do not own Glee, it is owned by FOX. You could say this is related to my previous oneshots in some respects but if you want to read standalone then do so as well. If there is any reference that isn't explained within the story, I'll tell you the oneshot it pertains to if the idea does belong to one I've already written.**

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><p><strong>Chapter One<strong>

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><p>"Are you sure you've sent the flowers to the right address?"<p>

"Yes, Kurt."

"Are you sure you've organised a time to see the caterer?"

"Of course, Kurt."

"Are you even listening to me anymore?"

"Yeah, Kurt."

Kurt Hummel tapped his foot impatiently against the tiled floor of his Lima-home kitchen and looked at her sternly.

"You want me to help organise all this stuff and don't pay attention?" He put his notebook down on the counter and folded his arms over his chest, looking as if he were angry with her.

Mercedes didn't buy it though. She also folded her arms and faced him, with an equally as stern expression. "Boo, you decided you wanted to organise this wedding yourself because you love the romance of it all."

That made Kurt bring his arms down and give his trademark smile. "Well of course I do. It's great you two are getting married. At first I thought it was strange that we all basically married our high school sweethearts, except Quinn and Artie, but at the same time it kind of makes sense."

Mercedes nodded her head in agreement with his statement.

"Anyway," continued Kurt picking up his notebook again, "so the guest list still has to be finalised completely. Obviously you have your families, college friends, the New Directions...Oh, Matt Rutherford called and said he could come. I couldn't find an address for Sam though."

"Sam? Sam who?" she asked, whipping around, hoping that her question would mask the questioning and intensity of her voice.

"Sam Evans. Blonde hair, played guitar, went out with Quinn and Santana, ring any bells?" Kurt questioned, looking at her suspiciously.

She collected herself and plastered on a smile, realising that for a nanosecond her heart had sped up and panic had taken over, thinking that Kurt had unearthed the one thing she had kept secret from him all these years since high school.

"Oh, that Sam, of course," she said, pretending she had just had a slip of memory and now remembered him perfectly.

"Yeah, anyway, I was going to invite him, seeing as he was part of the group but I couldn't find a-"

"Are you sure he'd want to come? He hasn't even made an effort to contact us in eight years, why should we reach out?" Mercedes asked, hoping that the bitterness she felt while she made that statement didn't seep into her tone.

Kurt didn't look at her like she was hiding something again so she figured she had been successful in not letting it affect her words.

"Well, he was caught between a rock and a hard place, wasn't he?" Kurt argued. "He had to leave so quickly, he couldn't even say goodbye to any of us."

_Except me, at nine o'clock on that Wednesday night_, Mercedes thought but she didn't let her thoughts read on her face, not letting herself remember that heart aching goodbye.

"He didn't come to Finn and Rachel's wedding because of work, flat out refused to come to Mike and Tina's and didn't even send a reply to your wedding," she said, turning to the kitchen table top as she put her stuff into her handbag.  
>She was meeting Shane to discuss the music for the wedding and while their glee club friends had been more than willing to put on another wedding performance she and Shane had decided to hire a singer or band, meeting some of the possible candidates today.<p>

"So that's a no on Sam then?"

"He'd probably say no anyway. I'm not wasting time on him."

"Are you alright?" Kurt asked and Mercedes realised that the way she said that implied something more under the surface.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she replied, putting her bag on her shoulder. "I have to go now. I'll talk to you tonight at dinner."

She gave Kurt a kiss on the cheek and then left the home he and Blaine stayed in while in Lima, diving their time between their hometown and New York, where Kurt had a fashion label which was beginning to gain some major exposure and Blaine had been gaining some recognition after a series of guest roles on some T.V shows.

As for her, she also lived in New York, but mostly staying there, due to her voice attracting many offers of record deals, offers she was still weighing up. The only reason she and Shane, who played professional football, were back in Lima was due to the approaching wedding which was in a matter of months and was going to be in Lima, due to most of their family being there.

It seemed like all the dreams for the members of glee had came true or least were coming true – showing what their hard work and determination could bring them if they just had enough commitment.

Mercedes stopped off outside Shane' parents home, seeing him just leave and then make his way into the car.

"Ok, so I think I've found the guy we could have to sing at our wedding."

"Oh, who?"

"I can't remember his name but he was singing at my cousin's wedding last month, you know the one you couldn't make because you had that meeting." Mercedes nodded her head and Shane continued with vibrant enthusiam. "So I called him up and he said that he was in Lima anyway, visiting family or friends or someone, and he said he'd meet us this afternoon at the hotel."

"Oh that's great!" Mercedes replied, keeping her eyes trained on the road but still feeling positive about this development in finding someone to provide music at the wedding.

It was possibly the hardest thing to find, strange due to her occupation. She hadn't wanted anything huge, just someone who could sit there and sing some simple songs about love. It wasn't a lot to ask for and it hadn't really been what people expected.

The two then chattered on in excited tones about their upcoming wedding, being together since the end of the summer before senior year and despite a rocky patch during the third year of college, they were still going strong and hopefully would go strong throughout their life together.

Forever.

It was a scary prospect.

They finally pulled up at the hotel, and got out the car, holding hands as they walked towards the building together.

In the lobby, Mercedes looked around for the singer that Shane had arranged to meet but apparently he wasn't there yet. They stood around for five minutes before the bell above the door tinged to indicate someone coming through. Mercedes didn't turn around right away and before she could he spoke.

"You must be Shane. I never got to meet you at the wedding last month."

Shane shook the man's hand and just as the second man was about to speak, Mercedes turned around and the sight she was greeted with made her throat constrict.

_Oh shit, _she thought.

Because standing in front of her was Sam Evans.


	2. Chapter 2

**The Wedding Singer**

**Written by WickedSong**

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><p><strong>Chapter Two<strong>

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><p>"<em>I <em>knew_ you and Shane would hit it off!" Kurt declared triumphly, as he clapped his hands excitedly, leaning against the pillows on Rachel's bed as Mercedes gave details of her date with Shane, as the two had now officially called themselves boyfriend and girlfriend._

"_It's so clear he adores you, Mercedes. You two are adorable together," Tina chipped in helpfully, while Rachel sat up, looking overjoyed for her friend as well._

"_I'm sure he must be better boyfriend material than your first relationship."_

_At this Mercedes whipped her head around immediately. "What was wrong with S-" she asked before she stopped herself saying a name, realising who Rachel meant. "Oh, you mean Puck."_

"_Of course, who else would I mean?" Rachel asked. "It's not like Puck's that bad anymore. He's obviously very content with Lauren but before he wasn't exactly the kind of guy you wanted to bring home to meet your parents."_

"_Yeah, well I like to think I helped with that change, Rach," Mercedes commented, flicking through a magazine, hoping her friends would avoid the uncomfortable talk about Shane being her first real relationship._

_Especially since that was a huge lie in itself._

_No such luck._

"_I'm sure Shane will be a great first _real_ boyfriend, Mercedes," Kurt offered, giving her a pat on the shoulder._

If only you knew, _was her thought as she looked at her friends but they wouldn't know and she wouldn't tell them._

_Who wanted to open up that can of worms, especially now?_

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><p>"Mercedes."<p>

"Sam."

It was as if time had seemed to come to a complete stop as they looked at each other, regarding the other silently, wondering who was going to speak first.

That was until Shane cleared his throat loudly, bringing Mercedes back to attention and the realisation that her fiance was standing right beside her.

"You two know each other?" he asked.

"Yeah we do," Mercedes said quickly. "Shane, this is Sam Evans. He went to McKinley."

"Oh," Shane replied, smiling. "I never saw you around when I-"

Sam looked at him, nodding his head in understanding. "I left three weeks into the summer. Must have been before you came to Lima."

Shane nodded. "It was actually. My family came to town near the end of the summer. The last month. That's when I met this lady here." Shane smiled, wrapping an arm around Mercedes' shoulders, showing that they were a couple.

Surprisingly, this made Sam look more than a little flustered and Mercedes could tell he was trying to figure out what he should say next. Only the two of them could pick up on the awkwardness which had descended onto the room. Shane was oblivious to it all.

"Yeah, she's pretty amazing," replied Sam, nodding his head and then looking down quickly at the floor, as if to avoid looking at the couple in front of him.

"You don't have to tell me twice. It's a shame we never got to meet, Sam."

"Right back at ya."

"So," began Shane, once the three had sat down at the chairs in the lobby of the hotel, "I guess you two knowing each other means this would be great." He turned to Mercedes. "He's really good."

"Yeah, he's pretty amazing," she said, and she gave Sam a slight smile, before turning to Shane and explaining, "We were in glee club together before he, you know, left."

In understanding, Shane nodded his head but his attention was diverted by his phone going on. He took it out and looked at the screen. "I gotta take this. Be back in a couple of minutes." He kissed Mercedes on the cheek and walked out of the hotel to take the phone call.

Sam turned to Mercedes as soon as Shane had left. "Well, this is..."

"Awkward," she supplied.

"Awkward, yeah," he replied. "That's one way to describe it. How long's it been?"

"Eight years, in three months time."

"That precise, huh?" asked Sam., nervously laughing.

Mercedes kept a straight face. "I still remember," was her reply.

She didn't mean to make him feel any guilt because it was never his fault that his family had to leave so abruptly but having no one to blame only made it hurt a little more when he had to go. Without anyone to blame, her feelings couldn't be directed to any one person, couldn't be attributed to anything but having something that was right in the wrong time.

"That didn't come out the way I meant it," she assured him.

He held his hands up in mock surrender. "Hey, I guess we could have had it all, if the time had been right."

A what if or a what could have been in relation with her short-lived romance with Sam Evans had been something she hadn't thought about for a while but his words made it seem all the more relevant.

"So what do we do?" asked Mercedes. "Do you sing at my wedding or not?" she questioned him, all the while wondering if he had any idea she was reliving their first kiss inside her head. It was on a loop now that she was staring at him again.

His blonde hair had been all over the place, he had really needed a haircut, and it had been the night they had lost at Nationals, but it had been her first real kiss and it had meant something. It had promised something.

Or at least that was what she had thought at the time.

"We're adults now. I guess it's not like we were together long enough for any hurt feelings, huh?"

Even though he said this his expression still looked like he was unsure, while hers mirrored it.

"Why a wedding singer anyway?"

But before Sam could answer, Shane came back in.

"I have a huge meeting I gotta get to, babe," he said, rushing in.

Mercedes stood up. "Alright, I'll give you a ride then," she said, quickly fixing her outfit, which had been slightly ruffled by sitting.

"It was great meeting you," Shane said, taking Sam's hand and shaking it.

"Yeah, same," Sam replied, shaking the hand back with an equal intensity. When Shane let go he offered his hand to Mercedes to shake. "It was great seeing you again, you know."

"I know, same here," was her reply, as she took his hand.

A spark of electricity. A single moment of hands touching where they both looked into each others eyes and said 'I'm here again, I don't know how awkward it is now, and I don't know how things would have worked out between us in the end, but just know if I had had the choice, we would have been great.'

It was amazing how much could be said when words weren't involved, just the look in someone's eyes or the way they shook your head with such steeliness and resolve.

"I'll give you a call once we've discussed you singing at the wedding but I think we'd be honoured to have you, right Mercedes?"

She looked at Sam, unsure but not wanting to show this in front of her husband-to-be in case he was suspicious. "Yeah, of course."

The two left and the whole car journey to the football training ground where Shane was meeting his manager was spent with small talk about their days and about how great Shane thought Sam would be singing at the wedding.

All Mercedes could think was that she should tell him right there and then but she just couldn't.

She didn't know why, she just didn't.

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><p>On her return home she found the boxes her mother had said she would send from the family home all piled up in her hallway.<p>

Although tired from her draining day she took the first box, entitled Miscellaneous and opened it, finding all sorts of things from her child and teenage years all inside. There were old notebooks, pictures of her and Kurt, her Quinn, those of her with the other members of the glee club and her and her family and then finally she found at the bottom an old set of CDs.

Pulling them out, she placed them over the pictures, taking all the assorted stuff into the living room where she looked through it.

She laughed at the pictures, some of them with her friends and herself looking ridiculous and then to her surprise one of her and Sam, taken on the night of junior prom. But it was just her and Sam. Rachel must've been off with Jesse at the time, she figured. They were standing there, his arm around her waist, and she was jokingly pulling at the bolo tie.

Looking through the CDs she stopped when she came across one without a cover on it. Opening it she was faced with a sense of nostalga to see a little sheet of paper flutter out of the case. The little sheet with the names of the 'top ten country songs you'll ever hear', at least according to Sam when he gave her the CD.

She looked from CD to picture, to picture to CD again and contemplated what it meant.

That she would see him again, after all these years, on the same day that she would get this box from her mother with two things that reminded her of him.

She sighed and wondered why it was all coming back to him.

She decided, however, that it wasn't worth her time focusing on. She was marrying Shane, a wonderful guy who loved her who she definitely loved back. Her life was on the up and it was going to continue on the up and no surprise visits from any faces from her past were going to change that.

And while she thought that with confidence, she couldn't help but think that was as far away from the truth as you could get.

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><p><strong>The CD she mentions in this chapter was in one of my previous oneshots, 'Wishing I Didn't Love You.' Oh and Shane is Shane from the show and James from my other oneshots will be changed to Shane in the course of the next few days in order to be more season three compliant.<strong>

**Hope you enjoyed. Things will heat up in the next few chapters. Just trying to set the mood with the shorter ones,**

**WickedSong x**


	3. Chapter 3

**The Wedding Singer.**

**Written by WickedSong.**

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><p><strong>Chapter Three.<strong>

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><p>Making his way to his truck, Sam sighed, hands in his jacket pockets due to the cold air of the springtime. Summer was still a way off and the weather had that nippy feeling to it and he was glad when he finally reached the warmth of his truck.<p>

Once inside he took a quick look at his phone to find not one, not two, not even three but four missed calls from Danielle, his girlfriend back in Tennessee. He wondered why she would be phoning him so insisently but decided that it could turn out not to be urgent. She was a sweet person but she could be overbearing. It had simply been something that he had grown used to in the year they had been together.

In case it was urgent, he dialled her number and waited until she answered.

"Sam?"

"Hey babe!" he said brightly. "Why'd you call?"

"I just missed wanted to hear your voice," Danielle replied. "It wasn't urgent or anything. I just miss you when you're not here, you know?"

"Yeah," Sam answered. "I miss you too." The statement was an honest one, even if he did sometimes sigh in relief when she didn't need to know his whereabouts every second of the day. "But I'm gonna have to stay in Lima a few more days, to organise whether I'm doing this wedding or not."

"Oh yeah," Danielle said. "How did that meeting go by the way?"

Sam thought that many words and ways to describe the meeting would be the honest way to answer her question.

Among these were awkward, uncomfortable but also great to see her again. It had also been just the tiniest hint of heartbreaking to know she had moved on quite quickly after he had left, even if it only confirmed what he had suspected for years.

"Sam, sweetie, you still there?"

Sam snapped back to reality, back from things he hadn't thought about for a while.

"Of course. The meeting was good. It went well."

It wasn't a lie, not really. He couldn't exactly call it awkward or uncomfortable because then he'd have to explain that Mercedes was more than just his old friend from high school. It was strange how only a couple of weeks had changed the entire dynamic of his relationship with her.

Danielle, as sweet as she was, could be protective of him and he hated to say but possessive. There had been one time a couple of months previous where Quinn had visited him in Tennessee and he had made the mistake of introducing her as 'my ex-girlfriend', causing Danielle to grow extremely icy to her all through the lunch they had met over.

Quinn was the only person from Lima he had stayed in touch with. It just seemed like she made the extra effort to pierce through the walls he had put up when he had moved back to Tennessee, walls that everyone else tried to break through, contacting him and such, but giving up when they realised that perhaps he just didn't want to know about his old high school anymore.

There were no romantic feelings between the exes and it was purely a platonic relationship.

But telling Danielle that he had been involved with Mercedes and then following it up with the meeting being awkward would make her brain whir with ideas as to why that was.

That was something he did not want to go into.

Telling Danielle that he would talk to her later, Sam hung up the phone and began the drive to the hotel he was staying at during his stay in Lima. He had only been in the town to have some papers signed to certify that he had attended McKinley during his Sophomore year. It was all to do with his plan to apply for college, finally, after being able to, once his family were back on their feet and no longer needed the money from him working.

That was where the singing at weddings actually came in. He had started by singing one song at his cousin's wedding and then one of her engaged friends had asked if he could sing at her own upcoming wedding. From there the whole thing had sort of ballooned and it worked out to be a more successful (and grown up) version of The Justin Bieber Experience.

He wasn't planning to make it a full time thing. He had said he would do one last wedding and then he would hopefully have enough to give some to his family, who though back on their feet financially, still struggled from time to, and enough for college.

Passing by The Lima Bean, Sam decided to pull over and grab a coffee in an attempt to heat himself up from the cool March air.

Of course, it would be just his luck that on the same day he ran into someone from his past he would see two more, namely Finn Hudson and Kurt Hummel.

"Who thought we'd see you again?" was Kurt's surprised response when the two had convinced Sam to join them when he had bought his coffee and had been heading towards the exit when he had heard Finn's very loud 'Sam? Sam? Is that you?"

"We thought you were living under a rock or something," commented Finn, giving him a friendly pat on the back. "So what've you been up to? You never called or anything when you left? Only Quinn knew where you were half the time."

Sam awkwardly looked down at his coffee cup. "I know. I'm sorry." He looked up to see a vague understanding in their eyes but it didn't reach their eyes and he knew they probably still didn't see why he had kept out of touch with them. In order to defuse the tension he explained what had happened in his life from the summer he had left, up until the meeting with Mercedes and Shane only an hour or so ago.

"That's so strange. Mercedes and I were talking about you this afternoon!" Kurt told him.

"Really?" Sam asked, wondering why on Earth he was so excited at the prospect of being brought up in a conversation involving her. Maybe it was just comforting to know that he wasn't completely forgotten.

"Yeah," Kurt said, nodding his head. "We were just talking about the guest list for the wedding."

"Oh."

In order to hide his disappointment, Sam turned the conversation onto them and their lives.

Kurt told him how he and Blaine had married and all that had happened to them, while Finn explained that he and Rachel had eventually married after a break up after graduation and that now he was a glee club director in a New York school while Rachel had just finished a run as a understudy on Broadway for the role of Eponine in Les Miserables.

Sam had to admit that both their lives had taken impressive turn after turn and it made him wonder what everyone else had been doing.

The trio continued to talk until the step brothers had to leave and Sam also took that as his own cue to get back in his truck and to the hotel.

That was until he received a phone call from Shane.

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><p>"<em>I just can't believe that that motel manager would make his family up and leave like that. We should protest or something," Finn commented, at the first glee club meeting of the year and naturally conversation had turned to the one member who would not be back for the new year.<em>

"_Finn, that would do nothing. His family are back in Tenneesee now, he's at a new school, all we can do is stay in touch," Kurt said to his step brother but even he sounded upset._

_Mercedes sat beside Kurt, trying to keep an air of indifference to the conversation. To the glee club, she and Sam were the two people you would least expect to hang out or be friends, never mind be in a relationship and when he had left they had made that unspoken agreement not to tell anyone, just to not bring up old hurt._

_Plus, she had Shane now and she was sure Sam would find a pretty girl who he would sing sweet songs to, do impressions to impress and speak fictional languages to make laugh._

"_It's just a shame," Rachel said. "It also means we're still no further to having more members. Sam was a Junior this year, he was going to lead the club when most of us left."_

"_I know," Finn said, putting an arm around Rachel's shoulders. "It sucks."_

Yeah, _Mercedes thought, as she wiped her eyes quickly on her sleeve trying to look casual about it, _it definitely sucks.

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><p>"So you think we should hire him?"<p>

"If you want to, I don't mind."

OK, so that was a lie. A huge lie. But who Mercedes she to cite 'awkwardness' as a reason as to why Sam couldn't sing at the wedding? It shouldn't have been that awkward. It had been three weeks at the beginning of summer. What was ever going to come of it?

"Great. I'll call him just now!" Mercedes faked a smile as Shane picked up the phone, dialled the number and then waited patiently.

He was patient and he was great and he was hers. She shouldn't have been living in the past and she shouldn't have felt uncomfortable around Sam.

There were no feelings there anymore. There _couldn't_ be any feelings there anymore.

She shook her head, freeing herself of the thoughts. They didn't matter anymore. She was getting married to a wonderful man who loved her and who she loved back.

That was too much to risk on feelings that _might_ still exist for something that could have meant _nothing_.

It was only when Shane excitedly said to Sam, "We'd love to have you sing at the ceremony and reception," that she really realised what she was letting herself in for and that she was letting the guy she had never really resolved her feelings for into her wedding to another guy.

Talk about awkward.

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><p><strong>Oh yes, things are about to get awkward and (hopefully) good. I am super excited so that's why there's so many updates. I don't know if I'll make a habit of it or not but you should take it while you can, haha. I have so many ideas and things I want to do in the story!<strong>

**Anyway, hope you enjoyed,**

**WickedSong x**

**EDIT : 23rd September 2011 - Changed 'Marcus' to 'Shane' to be compliant with season three.**


	4. Chapter 4

**The Wedding Singer,**

**Written by WickedSong.**

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><p><strong>Chapter Four<strong>

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><p>It wasn't long until the news of former New Directions member Sam Evans singing at the wedding had spread. The overall feeling had been that of joy. In the year that Sam had been there he had, whether knowingly or not, impacted their lives and they had impacted his.<p>

Mercedes wasn't completely sure how the news had made it's way right around the group but she knew that it had happened quickly after she had mentioned it to Rachel when they had been out shopping that morning for things for the wedding. She was sure of this because by the time she had arrived home, she had checked the machine only to be bombarded with messages from most of the former members of glee club asking if he was really back.

She really wasn't too surprised by this however. The same thing had happened when, a couple of weeks before Tina and Mike's wedding, Matt Rutherford, who had been a part of the club in its first year, arrived in Lima. He had maintained a long standing friendship with Mike but not really anyone else and everyone else had been happy to see a member of their unofficial family back.

Sam hadn't even kept close ties with anyone from McKinley, except perhaps Quinn but even she didn't know what was happening with him most of the time and no one spoke about him except casually in the passing when his name or something from last year that involved him couldn't be avoided. He had cut himself off from them all and for what reason no one knew. Mercedes knew it wasn't just because of them but she couldn't help but feel it played a contributing factor in his decsion.

"Was he even invited?" Tina asked over the phone, Mercedes calling her first to return her message because she felt as if she hadn't talked to her friend in a while.

"No," replied Mercedes.

"Why not?" inquired Tina. "I know he didn't come to Mike and I's wedding, or Kurt and Blaine's or Finn and Rachel's but-"

"But what Tina?" answered Mercedes in her demanding 'Diva' tone. "He is the one who bailed on m-the group." She quickly covered her almost mistake.

Tina sighed over the phone. "He didn't bail, 'Cedes. He had to go."

"I know that," declared Mercedes. "But why did he never call, or come back to town or visit? Why couldn't he?"

Tina was silent for a moment so she knew she had gave a more valid point. "You sound really upset," she noted. "Are you oka with this?"

_No_, thought Mercedes, _no because I have to pretend that I haven't thought about him in eight years. I have to pretend that he meant nothing to me at all when he was the first guy who I could really see myself with. No, because no one ever noticed because I was so good at hiding it._

But she didn't say anything like that. Instead she answered, "Of course I'm alright. Why wouldn't I be?"

She was expecting Tina to say that she had been basically ranting about Sam and that was why but it seemed the other woman had the tact to not do so. The two said their goodbyes and Mercedes decided that the best way she was going to figure out her frustrations was to do what she did second best to singing, writing.

Rifling through the box her mother had sent her she found her old songbook from her teenage years. Strangely enough in the weeks following Sam's sudden departure from Lima she had found this old book to be a good friend to her, a confidant where she couldn't have one, you could almost call it.

It was odd that after eight years it was quickly becoming that once more.

* * *

><p>Sam had no idea how he had found himself out at a bar with the guys from McKinley but here he was sitting with Puck, Artie, Mike, Finn, Kurt and Blaine, swiging beer and talking about their lives.<p>

Well, he had an idea how it happened. It had probably started with Finn telling Rachel about his encounter with him, then he had probably told everyone else which was why he had arrived back from his old high school, forms in hand, ready to go back to Tennessee the next day when the receptionist told him he had messages from the guys, suggesting a get together.

"It's a shame that Shane had to go to dinner with his parents tonight. It would have been great to have him here as well," commented Kurt, as he took a sip of his drink. He shrugged his shoulders. "Oh well. So, I think it'll be a lovely ceremony anyway-"

"It's not even his wedding and yet he still talks about it every second of the day," Blaine said, with a hint of teasing to his husband, who jokingly poked him in the ribs with his elbow at the comment.

"She's picked the most gorgeous dress, the church is beautiful and the music should be fantastic," Kurt gushed, undettered by Blaine and his comments. He gave a thumbs up to Sam.

"Well, I guess that's enough wedding talk for tonight?" Puck said. "So glad that Lauren and I don't have to think about that _ever_."

"So you two are still together then?" Sam asked, finishing his first beer.

Puck grinned. "Yep. We broke up at the start of senior year, she said being in glee club conflicted with her rep and that because I was in glee it was the same thing. But she realised after a while that she was being stupid and that she wanted me." He jokingly made a motion to show his biceps.

"And how long did it take her again?" asked Artie, folding his arms, rolling his eyes at Puck.

"OK, so we didn't get back together until last year," admitted Puck. He then proceeded to tell the story of how his relationship with Lauren had definitely made him a more mature person and he had had relationships which had meant more than they would have than if he had never been out with her. He and Quinn had even dated for a while before deciding that they were better off as friends who had a child together. About a year ago, he had bumped into Lauren and they had decided to give what they had another try, she apologising for being as shallow as she was about but he understanding her reasoning behind it.

The years apart had made them better for each other, it appeared.

"Come help me with these drinks," Puck ordered, slapping Sam on the head, and the other man had no other choice but to oblige and help his old friend.

Once up at the bar, Sam turned to Puck, "So why are you Lauren never getting married?"

Puck turned, after finishing ordering the drinks and answered, "We just don't see the point. We love each other, a piece of paper doesn't define that, does it?"

"Young Jedi, wise you are," Sam said, in his best impersonation of Yoda, causing Puck to roar with laughter.

"I missed that man. Why didn't you ever stay in touch with us? You missed Friday part II at prom that year," he said, nudging him with his elbow.

Sam shrugged his shoulders and laughed a little. "I don't know."

He did know but he had always felt stupid for his reasoning behind not keeping in touch with the group and so decided that he wouldn't say.

"Well, are you sure it's the best thing for you to sing at this wedding?" Puck asked, and his voice was quieter, as he casually leaned back on the bar, elbows propping him up.

"Why?" asked Sam. "Mercedes is my friend and Shane seems like a great guy." Puck snorted at this, causing Sam to arch his eyebrow in suspicion. "What? Why are you laughing at that?" It was Sam's turn to slap Puck casually on the back, the laughter unnerving him.

"Oh nothing, nothing at all," Puck said, once the drinks came. He took a few and Sam took the others back to the guys.

For the rest of the night he had no chance to ask Puck about his behaviour and reaction to what he had told him, but there was something in Puck's smile and eyes that told him that the guy knew more about he and Mercedes than he would lead on and Sam knew he would have to find out what it was.

Thankfully discussion of the wedding was kept to a minimum from there on out but Sam couldn't help but feel like he was opening up a can of worms he should have kept closed by agreeing to sing at it.

But then again, only time would tell.

* * *

><p><strong>Yeah, so we see there some hints of others knowing but do they really know? Well time will tell. I will probably have another chapter up later on tonight since it's a Saturday and thus I have more time on the computer but I hope you enjoy this one,<strong>

**WickedSong x**


	5. Chapter 5

**The Wedding Singer,**

**Written by WickedSong.**

**Disclaimer : I do not own Glee, that belongs to FOX. Oh, and the mention of Nationals in this chapter is expanded upon in the first chapter of You Are The Reason For The Words 'What If' and 'Dedication' but with one key difference from those stories (spoiler for those stories here : they did not see each other again at the competition in this story).**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Five.<strong>

* * *

><p>Delighted to be home, after his slightly extended stay in Lima, Sam jumped out of his truck, locked it, and walked up to the floor of the apartment block where his family's apartment was. It was a modest place, one they had managed to afford near the end of his Junior year, eight years ago, almost a full year after moving back to Tennessee. It wasn't nearly as big as either the home they had had in Lima before everything had fell apart but it was home, wasn't it? It was better than a stuffy motel room any day of the week, that was for sure.<p>

He didn't actually live in the apartment with them as he had his own place just at another apartment block a little way over, small but enough for just him. He was often at his family home though.

"Hey, I'm home!" Sam shouted out into the hallway, turning to put his key onto the table beside the door before he was assualted with a hug from his now-fourteen year old sister.

"Sammy, you're home! You said you'd be back yesterday!" Stacy demanded, and once she was not hugging her brother, she gave him a stern look, hands on her hips.

"Woah, sorry, mom," he said jokingly. "Next time I'll be sure to be home when I say, promise."

"You'd better," warned Stacy.

Stevie walked out into the hallway. "Why did you take so long anyway?"

"I got offered a job at a wedding, that's why," Sam told his younger brother. "We could use a bit of extra money anyway, couldn't we?"

Stevie shrugged his shoulders. "I guess, sure," he said. "Come on, mom and dad say dinner's almost ready." He nodded to the kitchen which was beside the living room.

Once he had said hello to his parents, Sam sat at the table with his siblings hearing about how school was, Stevie being a Sophomore and Stacy in her last year of middle school. Stevie told him how he had joined the glee club recently, the one Sam had belonged to, the Country Courters, and that their Nationals competition was in a little over two months time.

"I'm proud of you, little bro. I remember I had to be forced to join glee club." Sam smiled at the memory of Finn telling him that a win at Nationals would make them 'Gods' among the school. He was startled to remember that he used to be that guy; hiding who he really was and begging for the approval that the social elite at McKinley would bring him.

"I thought you auditioned for the Country Courters the first week back at school," commented his mom, while she set out the food with his father.

"I meant when I started at McKinley," pointed out Sam and his family gave a collective 'oh' around the table. "The Courters are awesome though. We never did win Nationals but we came pretty darn close."

He recalled that the New Directions had won at the competition both the years he had been with his club and he had even been the soloist his Junior year, a surprise at the time but done because it had been the first time that the group had made it that far and he had had experience of performing on the New York stage.

She _had been the soloist for the New Directions that year as well_, he thought, _she sang that song for you._

"Danielle came round yesterday. She said you got a job in Lima for a wedding. Do tell?" asked his father once the conversation had reached a lull.

"Oh, it's just a wedding, you know? A little bit of singing, more chance for college tuition and more for you guys."

His mother put her hand over his. "Sam, you listen to me right now. You've been earning for us for eight years. I want you to take the money from this wedding and use it on yourself, on your education."

"But mom-"

"No buts son, she's right. We both earn enough now. This place may not be as big as our home was in Lima or your grandparents' place but it's home. That's all you need." His father gave him a kind smile. "So what's the couple like? Nice?"

"Oh yeah, I know them actually. Well, the bride."

"Oh, one of your old friends from McKinley?" asked his mother, taking a bite of her chicken, her voice indicating that she was interested in what he was saying.

Sam nodded, also taking a bite of his own food and then replying, "Yeah, it's Mercedes, Mercedes Jones."

"Isn't that the girl you were dating before we left?" Stevie asked, not looking too intrigued in the conversation until the name sounded familiar to him. "Yeah, it was," he continued, sounding more sure of himself. "Yeah, 'Cedes. How is she?"

Their parents ignored Stevie's outburst and sudden attention by looking at each other in a quizzical way first and then to their eldest son. "Are you sure that won't be awkward, Sam? You two didn't exactly part in the best of circumstances."

Sam shrugged his shoulders, hoping he could mask that he kind of felt the same. "It was three weeks, mom, it wasn't like we had any strong feelings for one another in that time."

"We're just worried since it took you a long time to get over her. You didn't start dating again until the end of your Junior year."

"Because I wanted to focus on my studies, not because of Mercedes," lied Sam. It wasn't a complete lie of course because part of his reasoning behind not being involved in any romantic entanglements had been because he had missed a lot, what with his family's situation and work, in his Sophomore year and he had a lot to catch up on.

Another part had been because he had been beginning to feel something for Mercedes and he hadn't felt right dating again for a long time.

But he couldn't tell his parents that. They were parents; the people who rooted out your best and worst moments, who comforted you, who made you face the truth you didn't want to see.

"Sure you did," commented Stacy into her food, quiet enough for everyone to hear her but to also just brush it off since she could easily deny she said anything.

Sam didn't reply.

Stevie only shrugged his shoulders. "Well, for the record, I always thought you two would have been really good together if you had been back together."

Sam only wondered how that was meant to make him feel better.

* * *

><p>"I have an audition tomorrow evening for a revival of Funny Girl for the role of Fanny Brice of course."<p>

Mercedes rolled her eyes at her friend from over the table at the high-end restaurant in New York City, while Shane gave a small laugh at her actions. "You've told us about a million times already. All week it's basically been 'my audition's soon, my audition's in two days, my audition's tomorrow. You're gonna nail it, leave it at that."

Rachel gave a laugh and smiled at Mercedes. "Well, perhaps, we'll see," she said with a quiet confidence.

She had arrived in New York a bright rising star but rejection after rejection had left Rachel as a more understated star, still determined in her dream but not as forward as she used to be. Mercedes could still see the glimmer in her eyes, that glimmer that said 'I _will_ get this role. This is _my_ role.' She was inclined to believe Rachel, especially when this ready to go after something.

Now Mercedes and Shane sat across from Rachel and Finn, on a double date with the other, already married for two years, couple. They had all flew to New York two days before since Rachel had her audition, Finn had to get his glee club ready for Nationals, Shane had a football game the previous night and Mercedes had had a meeting with a new up and coming label 'McKinney Records', and she had taken a one single deal with them which could morph into something bigger dependent on her success.

It was all on the up.

"Just to make sure, what's the date of the wedding again?" questioned Rachel as she placed her menu on the table. "Finn has Nationals soon with the group and we need to make sure it doesn't clash."

"The 21st of May," Shane answered. "We know it's a Tuesday but it's about the only day we can do that our family can make it as well."

"Nationals isn't until the weekend after that, the 25th so it's fine."

"It damn well better be," joked Mercedes in her best 'Diva' voice. "You think you're missing our wedding, Finn Hudson, you have another thing coming."

"You tell him Mercedes," laughed Rachel as she raised her glass of wine. "To Shane and Mercedes and their wedding which will be absolutely amazing, I'm sure."

The four all clinked glasses and Mercedes laughed as well, glad to be in the company of her friends and fiance.

* * *

><p><strong>God this is so late - and short. Not on purpose and I've had it planned. It was just getting the ideas onto the computer and out of my head was proving difficult. Chapter Six is also planned and so another delay shouldn't be as long as long as the ideas are quickly out of my head, haha.<strong>

**Hope you enjoyed,**

**WickedSong x**


	6. Chapter 6

**The Wedding Singer,**

**Written by WickedSong.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Six.<strong>

* * *

><p>"I still don't get why you didn't ask me to design the dresses. I had them all planned out in my head," Kurt said to Mercedes as they sat in the bridal store where the bridesmaids were trying on their dresses, to be sure that no alterations had to be made. It had been two weeks since Sam had shown up and two weeks since Mercedes had signed her record deal and the wedding was approaching, it already being the last day of March.<p>

"Because you were busy. Plus, I love the dresses I picked out, okay?" Mercedes shrugged her shoulders to him, as all the others emerged from their seperate changing rooms, out of their dresses and back into their own clothes. Tina had been the only one who had to have her dress altered and it was only slightly to compensate for the fact that she was pregnant and would be showing by the time the wedding came around.

She was still getting ready so everyone waited in the shop for her. Quinn nudged Mercedes in the side, and tilted her head to the side. "Can I talk to you in private?" she asked.

When Mercedes nodded the two women went over to the corner of the room. "What is it? Is it your dress. Was there something wrong with it?"

Quinn gave a small laugh, and shook her head. "No, it's not that. I just wanted to find out from you. Is Sam really back?"

"Oh," Mercedes replied, surprised. "Yeah but I thought you'd know that. You're about the only person he kept in contact with when he left." She just about managed to keep a bitterness out of her tone.

"Yeah, well he doesn't exactly keep me updated. Even when I call him he's distant," she said somewhat sadly. "Anyway, so is he singing at the wedding?" she questioned.

Mercedes nodded. "Yeah, why? You're not still interested in him are you? I thought you were with Michael now."

"Oh, I'm not interested in him. Sam and I are friends and that's all we are," she smiled fondly. "It's better that way, trust me. And yes, Michael and I are still going strong." Her eyes lit up when she said that, obviously showing the happiness she was feeling.

"Then why are you asking?"

"Look, Mercedes, I know you." Quinn folded her arms and lowered her voice. "You can fool Kurt, and you can fool Tina, and you can even fool Rachel but you can't-"

"What about me?" Rachel asked, her ears obviously perking up at the mention of her name.

Before Quinn could reply however, Rachel's phone began ringing in her bag. She took it out and looked at the caller ID, causing her mouth to open in a wide 'O'. "It's my agent. I have to take this. It could be about the show!"

Rachel fluttered over to another corner of the store, while Tina called out at the same time, "Just coming guys!"

Quinn turned to Mercedes, muttering, "Some things never change," under her breath before returning to her previous point. "What I'm saying is that I know."

"Know what?" Mercedes asked, trying to keep the look of 'how does she know' off of her face for long enough.

"About you and Sam. And don't deny it. Because every time someone brings him up you either become overly positive or change the subject."

Before Mercedes could reply she was stopped by Rachel smiling while she walked into the middle of the room and clearing her throat. "I have a callback for Funny Girl!" she exclaimed delightfully.

Everyone was so intent on congratulating Rachel that Mercedes never had a chance to ask Quinn how she found out or why she brought it up after all this time but when she caught her friend's eye she knew she would have to find out.

* * *

><p>"I just think that if you're going to be gone for a little bit longer next time then I should drive down with you," Danielle suggested.<p>

Sam groaned. "It was an extra day on a two day visit back to Lima. Trust me, it'll only be a few more times I'll have to go down there, to get stuff organised and then for the wedding."

"Why did you even add a day on? You got the job that night, didn't you?"

"Yeah but then I went out for drinks with some of the guys I went to school with," Sam told her, shrugging his shoulders. "I honestly don't see the big deal."

"I'm not making a big deal out of it, Sam. I was only asking a question," she replied sternly, as she took a plate of food into her kitchen and cleaned it. Sam stood in the doorway, watching her and watching for her to speak again. "I just want to know that you're alright. I worry."

"There's a line between worrying and asking where I am every second of the day, Danielle," Sam commented. "I miss you too when I'm out of town but we're going to have to get used to it when I apply for college."

"I thought you were going to one in state," she wondered aloud.

"What if I don't get in? I have to have choices," he replied, wrapping his arms around her waist and kissing the top of her head. "It'll be fine, alright? But you have to just chill a little."

She sighed. "I'll try."

"Thank you," he replied, giving her another kiss.

His phone went off and he went into the hallway to pick it up, to see an incoming call from Mercedes. A distinct feeling of nervousness he remembered feeling nearly eight years ago at prom was felt for a couple of moments but he pulled himself together long enough to answer.

"Hello," he answered coolly.

"Hey Sam," she replied, equally as cool. "I was thinking we'd need to go over song choices and I have a list right here and we could do it now or-"

"Who is it!" Danielle shouted into the hallway.

"Mercedes, she's the bride at the wedding I was telling you about," Sam answered, shouting back. He put the phone back to his ear. "Sorry about that."

"Oh it's alright. Who was that?" asked Mercedes.

"My girlfriend, Danielle."

"Girlfriend?"

"Yeah, girlfriend."

Was it awkward? He couldn't tell from her voice alone.

"So, anyway, these songs. Are you busy right now. We could go over what ones I have here if you want," she asked, after a moment or so of silence had passed between them.

"Well, I am busy right now," Sam said, feeling torn when he said this. He was in the middle of a date with Danielle but in all honesty he wanted to talk with Mercedes on the phone. "I'm coming back to Lima on Wednesday. I could see you then."

"Really? Why are you coming back to town so soon?"

"Sam, the food's getting cold!"

Sam looked towards the kitchen. "I have to go, sorry. I'll call you when I get to town and we can arrange to meet up?"

"Sounds good," she agreed. "Bye."

Sam hung up and sighed, before plastering a smile on his face and walking into the kitchen.

"So when is that wedding anyway?" asked Danielle.

"The 21st of May," replied Sam, taking his own plate of food and sitting on the couch, Danielle beside him as she put on the TV.

"That's a weird day to have a wedding. A Tuesday?"

"I know," Sam said shrugging his shoulders, "but apparently that's the only day that everyone could make it in their families."

Danielle also shrugged her shoulders and the two began watching a film which had just started on the movie channel.

* * *

><p>"So tell me, how do you know?"<p>

Mercedes sat across from Quinn at The Lima Bean later on that afternoon, once everyone else had went back to their homes. The two friends had decided to go to the coffee shop however, in order to discuss what Quinn had told her back at the bridal store.

"So you're not denying it then?"

"Is there even a point in that? Just tell me who else knows," said Mercedes, sighing deeply.

"As far as I know it's only me. But we never really talked about Sam after he left so other people in the club could've known," she said, shrugging her shoulders. "And I know because I know Sam. No, he didn't tell me. I figured it out myself. If prom wasn't any indication that you two were growing closer then that hug at Nationals certainly was."

"Oh you saw that?"

"Everyone saw that hug. I was the only one smart enough to put two and two together and realise that he was totally into you," Quinn said, leaning backwards on her seat.

"Why bring it up? Why now? It's been eight years," Mercedes questioned.

Quinn looked down at her feet. "You're my sister, you're my best friend and I just want to make sure that you're sure about marrying Shane."

"I've been with Shane for eight years. I was with Sam for three weeks. Doesn't that put it into perspective?" Mercedes argued but Quinn shook her head.

This was one of those moments she hated letting anyone in, especially Quinn, who was an observant person at most times.  
>"I just think that you got with Shane so quickly that you never really dealt with Sam and what he meant to you." Quinn placed her hand over Mercedes'. "Maybe I'm wrong, maybe you did because eight years is a long time."<p>

"It's a really long time and I don't feel anything for Sam right now, at this moment. It was three weeks. Three weeks. A summer fling."

Quinn looked like she wanted to say something but she just took a sip of her coffee as if she had decided against her words.

Mercedes did the same, then turned the conversation to Quinn's boyfriend and how her life was going, all the while mulling her words over in her head.

Had she dealt with her feelings?

To be honest she didn't know if she had.

* * *

><p><strong>So Quinn now has revealed she knew...I mean, come on, she totally was shipping it in New York when they hugged. You could tell! Anyway, so we have Puck who may or may not know or just suspect and who knows if anyone else found out? Hmm.<strong>

**WickedSong x**


	7. Chapter 7

**The Wedding Singer,**

**Written by WickedSong.**

**Disclaimer : The song 'Two Is Better Than One' belongs to Boys Like Girls, it is not mine.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Seven.<strong>

* * *

><p>That Wednesday as she was driving to the hotel to meet Sam, Mercedes kept Quinn's words to the back of her mind, and also attempted to keep her mind off of the fact that perhaps more people than she was aware of knew about the relationship between Sam and herself which she had been convinced they had kept well and truly under wraps for years. It didn't matter. Quinn was wrong.<p>

She had dealt with her feelings for Sam. She had dealt with them almost as quickly and as strongly as they had come on at the end of her Junior year and then she had met Shane and moved on. What was there to 'deal with' as Quinn as said. She couldn't feel anything for Sam. Life didn't work that way. You didn't meet someone and spend a few weeks with them and then automatically fall for them. You just didn't.

She had grown accustomed to that way of thinking.

Pulling up the hotel, Mercedes noticed that Sam was already there. He was leaning against his truck door, looking down at his wristwatch and she found herself looking from her window at him, while did he so. Despite her earlier thoughts she had to admit she found it nice just to look and see the changes.

He was taller, still in shape but better built than the last time she had saw him and his hair was no longer blonde but a light brown, more natural.

He was still the same old Sam though. He was still the guy who had jogged into glee club over eight years ago and pronounced that he did not like green eggs and ham.

"Keep it together, girl," she muttered to herself, getting her bag from the seat beside her, and shaking her head to rid the smile from her face, a smile that found its way there whenever she thought of him.

When out of the car, she locked it with the keys and began to walk towards Sam, who had his guitar case in hand. They simultaneously went to do different things; he held his arms out for a hug as best as he could with the case in hand, while she held out her hand to shake his hands.

"Too weird?" he asked, gesturing to the way he held his arms open.

When she nodded, he put his arms up in mock surrender and held out the hand which was not holding the guitar case handle and shook her outstreched one with it. And there was still that 'I missed you' his eyes, or was she imagining that? Yeah, she must've been imagining that because it wouldn't have been there.

She gestured for them to walk into the hotel and they were then promptly shown to the room for the reception by one of the members of staff. Mercedes smiled upon walking in. It was as perfect as she had remembered it from when she and Shane had decided to book it almost six months ago.

"So, I'll go set up then," Sam said, seeing the stage and walking over. "You have music with you?"

"Of course I do," Mercedes told him, looking down at her handbag. He smiled at her and nodded his head, setting up his guitar over on the stage area. He also had music with him, and bent down to look through the crumpled sheets of paper.

Mercedes walked up to look at what he was doing. "What songs were you thinking about?"

"Give me a minute and I can tell ya," he said happily, sorting out the music on the stand.

"So," Mercedes said, leaning against the wall looking at him. "You never answered my question that day. Why this?"

"Why what?"

"Singing at weddings," she said.

"It's not full time or anything and I don't plan to make a proper career of it. It's just something to pay for college," answered Sam as he shuffled through some other sheets of paper, obviously confused about what he was looking for.

"Oh, so you go to college? Or you went? Or..."

"I want to go," Sam admitted. "I haven't had the chance to because of..well you know, my family. We weren't well off for a long time. Even though we got the apartment at the end of Junior year, my grandparents still had to pay towards the rent for a long time." He gave her a weary smile. "I had to work after graduating. Almost dropped out of school altogether but I didn't want Stacy and Stevie to have their brother be a high school dropout or my parents having their oldest son with that title either."

Mercedes went to stand beside him. She placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "You're a really good guy you know?"

He gave a nervous cough, and a small chuckle. "Maybe."

Mercedes gave his shoulder a reassuring squeeze before realising that she felt too close to him and decided to stand back a little. "So you and this girlfriend of yours? Danielle, isn't it? When did you two meet?"

She hoped getting the subject onto his girlfriend would ease some of the awkward tension still between them.

"Oh yeah," he nodded while he spoke. "She's great. We met last year. We were set up by friends."

"Sounds nice."

Sam nodded and then cleared his throat, holding out sheet music to Mercedes. "Do you know this one? It's a duet. I need to hear how the female part sounds though."

She looked at it. "Taylor Swift? Country?"

"Boys Like Girls actually," Sam answered, teasing in his voice, as he put his guitar on. "And I would prefer to say it's pop/rock, you know?"

Mercedes gave a laugh. "You're as crazy as I remember you were."

Sam gave a wide smile at this statement and laughed along with her.

He began strumming on the guitar strings and sang.

"_I remember what you wore on the first day, you came into my life, and I thought hey, you know this could be something, 'cause everything you do and words you say, you know that it all takes my breath away, and now I'm left with nothing."_

It was a quiet song, contained, nothing but the guitar and his voice wafting through the room. He had performed this one a few times at weddings, but only when he had been able to find a girl who would be willing to duet with him on it. He was positive he could find a girl from Glee, maybe Quinn or Rachel, to back him up with this one for Mercedes' wedding. Her wedding. He was going to sing this song for her wedding but he was also thinking about the first time he noticed her and it was playing with his emotions too much.

He gave her a small smile and looked at her from the corner of his eye, seeing that she was thinking but about what?

At the chorus they both sang together, their voices blending surprisingly well together. He never had had the chance to sing with her when he went to McKinley.

"_So maybe it's true that I can't live without you and maybe two is better than one, but there's so much time to figure out the rest of my life and you've already got me coming undone and I'm thinking two is better than one."_

Sam continued playing and nodded to Mercedes.

"_I remember every look upon your face."_

Sam then chipped in.

_"The way you roll your eyes, the way you taste, you make it hard for breathing."_

They both sang together at this next point and it was as if they were reading each other's minds when they turned to look at each other while singing. It shouldn't have felt right but as they circled each other, belting out the words they had maybe always wanted to say, that same spark that had been there, was in full force.

_"'Cause when I close my eyes and drift away, I think of you and everythings okay, and finally now, I'm finally now believing. That maybe it's true that I can't live without you and maybe two is better than one, but there's so much time to figure out the rest of my life and you've already got me coming undone and I'm thinking two is better than one."_

Mercedes immediately stopped singing as Sam played the last chord and the song ended but it was the end of the song; one which had opened up an entire channel of emotion.

Then he smiled at her. That damn adorable smile.

"That was really..." He seemed to be looking for the words to describe what it was but he couldn't really find them. He wanted to say 'good' and maybe he was 'good' but Mercedes had never been just 'good' and he had almost forgotten that.

"Intense?" she asked out loud, meaning to only say it in her head.

Before Sam could ask why, before either of them could question why it was that intense for them, her phone went off and she was grateful for the distraction.

"Answer it, it's fine. I'll look through these."

Mercedes looked at it and found it was a call from Shane.

"Hello?" she asked when she answered.

"Hey babe. How are you? Look, my meeting was postponed so I'll be here for another day or two. I hope that's alright," he quickly told her.

While her mind said it wasn't ideal, she couldn't blame him for the meeting being held back a day or two. "No, it's fine. Sam and I are just going over song choices for the first dance and the ceremony right now."

"Oh right. Tell him I said hi. Love you, I gotta go now but I'll call you tonight. Bye."

"Love you too, bye."

She hung up the call and put her phone back in her pocket before walking back over to Sam.

"Shane says hi," she said, trying to keep her voice even.

"Oh, he seems nice as well, you know? A great guy. Really deserving of you, you know?" rambled Sam but there was somethig in the way he said that last part that made Mercedes think that Sam was really putting himself down.

He had done that a lot. She remembered one day when they had been at the park with Stacy and Stevie and while they had been playing on the swings, Sam had confided in her that he felt like he wasn't doing enough for his family. She had quickly put his fears to rest, telling him to look at his brother and sister, his brother and sister who looked perfectly content at that moment.

"He is a great guy."

"Well, great."

The former easiness that had been with the two before the song and the phone call was gone and again was replaced with the awkwardness that could only happen when two exes were in the same room. But it wasn't like they broke up for the reasons anyone would suspect.

It had been like he had said that day they had met again. They had just had what they had in the wrong time.

And so she wondered continiously. What would it have been like in the right time?

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"Yeah, sure," replied Mercedes. "Any other songs?"

* * *

><p>The rest of the time they had spent in the hotel had been productive and they had constructed a programme of sorts of songs that Sam could sing at the wedding during the reception. Mercedes still hadn't thought of a song for the ceremony however and she felt like she'd have to ask Shane for his input on that one when he got back from New York.<p>

Bidding goodbye to Sam with a handshake, he went to his truck while she got in her car but not before turning around from her open car door and waving at Sam, who also stood at the door of his truck before both got in to their respective vehicles.

Once inside his truck, Sam sighed deeply. He hadn't been expecting to feel these feelings again but here he was, eight years in the past, sitting nervously thinking about Mercedes like he was back at the Junior prom again. He both hated and liked the feeling.

His phone went off and instead of ignoring it, he answered.

"Hello there?"

"I hear you've been back in Lima without telling me."

"Hello Quinn. How are you? And I'm assuming Mercedes told you," he said.

Quinn laughed on the other end of the call. "Well, she told Rachel, who told Finn, who already knew, but who told Puck and you know how news travels in the group."

Sam nodded his head in agreement. "Yeah, I know."

"You sound down. What's the matter?"

"It's nothing, seriously. I'm fine." He was fine. There was nothing bothering him at all. Or at least what was bothering him was something he couldn't tell Quinn. She would become pissed that he hadn't told her years ago about himself and Mercedes and he was also concerned about it making its way around the group. Quinn wouldn't tell anyone intentionally but these things had a way of getting around, as she had put it herself.

"Fine then. We should meet up for coffee or something. Swing by The Lima Bean later on, a few of us are getting together for a catch up," suggested Quinn, and he could practically hear her smile.

"Who's 'a few of us?'" he asked.

"Puck, Lauren, Mike, Santana and Brittany."

"I guess," conceded Sam, actually looking forward to seeing his friends, or at least his old friends. Could he really still call them his friends. It had been so long he wasn't sure.

After getting a time to meet from Quinn he hung up and began to drive, just drive around the town he had called home for a while. He was only staying for a couple of hours, driving back from Lima that night after meeting everyone at The Lima Bean so he took in the old sights. Breadstix, the school, the park, the motel, everything he could remember.

While he was driving he was singing one particular song under his breath.

_"And I'm thinking, I can't live without you, 'cause, baby, two is better than one, there's so much time, to figure out the rest of my life, but I'll figure it out, when all is said and done, two is better than one, two is better than one."_

* * *

><p><strong>I told you all stuff was about to happen and look it happened! I've been looking forward to writing this chapter since the start of the story and I'm glad to have finally got it down. I'm still extremely depressed about no Chord on my t.v screens, Sam's absence being explained so poorly and the fact I have no Samcedes on my television so this is good for me, haha :)<strong>

**Hope you enjoy,  
><strong>

**WickedSong x **


	8. Chapter 8

**The Wedding Singer,**

**Written by WickedSong.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Eight.<strong>

* * *

><p>Mercedes arrived to her empty home to hear the phone ringing. Wondering who it could be, she picked up the receiver to hear Kurt's voice.<p>

"Hey, where have you been? I've been calling your cell for the last half an hour."

"I was with Sam sorting out the songs for the wedding," she replied. "Why did you need to speak to me?"

"Just needed to confirm how many vegetarian meals you'll need for the wedding? Obviously Rachel's one but you have the actual numbers."

"I do?" questioned Mercedes, looking around. The living room of the house was a mess, papers everywhere, boxes piled up from her family home in Lima. She had no idea where the number of vegetarian meals would be at this moment in time.

Kurt groaned. "You should. I don't know-"

He was cut off by Blaine shouting something that Mercedes couldn't hear from the other room. She did catch onto certain words such as 'list', 'found it', 'under the drawers'.

She gave a grin which Kurt couldn't hear but would most probably feel if she spoke. She heard him sheepishly clear his throat. "Well, it appears I had the list all along. My resourceful husband has found it."

"Good old Blaine," commented Mercedes, feeling kind of smug.

Kurt gave a laugh. "Yeah, good old Blaine. Don't know what we'd do without him, huh?"

Mercedes laughed back at her friend's words. "I think we'd all be lost somewhere," she agreed.

"So what songs did you and Sam decide on?"

"Oh," she replied, caught slightly off guard by the question but she quickly organised her thoughts. "Just the usual wedding-y ones really."  
>Kurt practically squealed over the phone. "I can just imagine how romantic it's all going to be already. You might even beat Blaine and I in how cute your wedding can be."<p>

"I highly doubt that," commented Mercedes, smiling, thinking back on the happy event four years ago when Kurt and Blaine married in New York. The vows had been beautiful, the setting had been perfect (it had been snowing and while it hadn't hindered the wedding, the slow flurry of snow, settling onto the frosted windows had brought a magic to the air that couldn't be described without actually seeing it). All in all, no other wedding in the group had ever surpassed it.

Even Rachel had to admit that her and Finn's had been very close to beating it. Very close.

Not that anyone really cared about topping each others weddings. It was just a topic of conversation really. Everyone was with the person they loved, that was enough and that was what really mattered at the end of the day.

Mercedes felt her cell go off in her pocket. It was probably Shane.

"I have to go now, Kurt. Shane's calling me, I think."

"I thought he was back today," Kurt asked.

"His meeting was postponed until tomorrow or the day after," she replied. "Bye, talk to you later."

Once Kurt said goodbye, Mercedes answered her phone and she had been right. Shane was on the other side.

They discussed their days until the clock read it was just after half past six and Mercedes realised she hadn't eaten since lunch and was now hungry.

She said goodbye and hung up the phone quickly, before wandering into the kitchen and cooking herself some dinner.

* * *

><p>It was six o'clock when Sam walked into The Lima Bean to find the group sitting around a table involved in a – what looked like – heated discussion. Quinn was whispering, practically hissing from what he could hear, while Mike was using his hands to show his animated points of talking. Puck nodded at intervals as did Lauren and Brittany.<p>

It was Santana who first noticed him walk through the door.

"Trouty Mouth, over here!" she hollered, using the nickname as if they hadn't seen each other in eight years and it had only been a matter of days since they last spoke. She used her hand to gesture him over and he did so, noticing Quinn and Mike's argument ending suspiciously quickly as he sat down.

"What were you all talking about?" he asked, intrigued in this sudden change but everyone shrugged their shoulders.

"Weather."

"Work."

"Asian babies."

Sam fixed Brittany with a questioning stare at her statement but Mike quickly jumped in to clear any blanks in his mind.

"Tina's pregnant. Brittany's wondering if the baby will be Asian," he told him, as if it was normal.

Sam nodded, understanding and then gave a smile to his old friend. "Congrats, dude."

"Thanks," Mike replied, smiling widely, obviously over the moon at his wife being pregnant. "So, what's been going on with you? You've been avoiding us ever since you left Lima."

Maybe Mike didn't mean to sound as if he was accusing his friend of anything but his tone said otherwise. Sam shrugged his shoulders and recounted his life to his friends, mentioning that he was working as many times as he could, hoping that would help his friends see where his distance came from. Hoping they'd believe the lie he sometimes almost wanted to believe himself.

Lauren leaned back in her chair, and looked as if she didn't believe him but she didn't say anything, instead opting to change the subject slightly, lightly punching Puck on the shoulder. "Well, I'm sure this knucklehead told you all about us?"

Sam gave a nervous chuckle and Puck looked equally as nervous.

Lauren folded her arms. "Well, in case he didn't, I coach the wrestling team at McKinley now while this guy here actually made something of his pool cleaning business."

Her words did sound a little harsh but her smile said that she didn't actually hold any bad feelings. In fact her smile said she was perfectly happy and that she wouldn't trade 'this guy' or this 'knucklehead' for anything else.

They went around the group and found out that Tina was a teacher at an elementary school while Mike taught dance at his own studio, which he had founded with Brittany, five years ago, but now ran solo as Brittany and Santana had moved to L.A to find their own path, which turned out to be together.

Seeing that Brittany and Santana were a couple made Sam make sense of a lot of things that had happened in his relationship with the latter and he was happy for the two of them. Santana was an agent for up and coming stars, her quick wit and negotiating skills making her a force to be reckoned with and she represented Brittany, who was forging a career as a talented dancer, appearing in music videos and concerts for famous singers.

Quinn worked at a magazine in Chicago as a features editor in the fashion column – with an aspiration to one day move to something a little more meaningful but grateful for the dream the magazine helped her with – getting out of Lima. She was currently dating Michael Grant, a high up business man she had met on her lunch break, by chance, at the coffee shop beside her building. They had been together for six months.

Everyone's lives seemed to have taken the turn they had hoped for and maybe some of them didn't quite reach the real dreams they wanted but they were happy with how their lot in life had turned out and that was enough for them.

Sam hoped that once he had been to college, that once he had done something with his life he could reach his own – even if he wasn't completely sure what that was yet.

* * *

><p>Mercedes sat at her table, with her song book out, looking through the songs that she had written almost eight years ago. The pages were torn and tattered slightly, and had a hint of yellow on the corners. The pen was slightly smudged in some places but she could still read some of the lines, lines of heartbreak, shock, young love gone awry. She almost laughed at how trivial it had seemed all that time ago but she didn't see the triviality of it anymore. What she saw was memories on a page and it made her think back, back to the morning after he left.<p>

She wondered if at one point, it wouldn't hurt to think about it.

_Gingerly, she opened her eyes, letting the sunlight which poured in through her open curtains, come in through her eyes. She blinked a couple of times, letting her eyes adjust to the change in the brightness quickly before yawning and looking at her phone. Twelve new messages._

_She raised her eyebrow sceptically and thought that perhaps it was Sam. He liked to text her in the morning when he could get money for his phone. He liked to make sure she woke up almost every day to a smile in her inbox. That was even before they began dating, that had started after prom._

_But then reality hit her like a ton of bricks._

_Last night. It had been around nine o'clock and he had turned up, looking so disheartened, so unprepared for whatever it was he was going to do. And then he told her._

_They hugged, they kissed, they cried and then he left._

_He left._

_He wasn't in Lima anymore. He was in Tennessee and they were going to pretend as if nothing had ever changed between them._

_Mercedes looked down at the phone again. The twelve messages would probably be all from the group and they would probably be about the events that had transpired._

_She didn't have the energy to deal with that right now._

_Lying back down, usually strong, usually ready to deal with whatever was thrown her way without shedding a single tear, Mercedes shook her head and closed her eyes, feeling a few tears already working their way down her face._

* * *

><p>Sam was just ordering a quick drink of coffee, his last before going back on the road, when he caught the hushed conversation between the group behind him.<p>

Santana was the first one to speak.

"So, we all knew, but never told anyone we did?"

"Well, the only reason Lauren knows is because I told her," Puck countered, as quietly as Santana.

"Can't keep a secret from momma," was the self-assured response from the woman beside him.

Brittany looked and sounded as innocent as always when she spoke up. She hadn't really changed, as aloof but oddly insightful as ever. "I thought we all knew but never spoke about it because of how it ended."

Quinn shushed them quickly enough, upon realising that Sam was at the counter nearer them now. She looked up at him, smiled and then returned to raising her voice in a conversation that was typical of the group.

When he walked over to the paying counter, Sam looked at the table again to find them quieter again.

Determined to find out what they were all discussing so intently, he took his coffee and walked out of their eyesight, to a table beside the window, where a potted plant reached so high. The table, funnily enough, brought back memories he'd rather keep to the back of his mind but he shook his head.

"Well, I thought it would hurt Mercedes rather than help her move on," said Quinn. "But why am I only finding out that you all knew as well. Did you tell Tina?" She turned to Mike.

"Mercedes is one of her closest friends. I didn't want Tina to tell her that we all knew so I kept my mouth shut. We are the only ones who know."

"You all knew!"

"Things," commented Lauren insightfully as she looked from a shocked Sam, who had just spoken, to the shocked faces of everyone else at the table, "just got interesting."

* * *

><p><strong>Yes, Lauren, they just did! My internet's been down for the weekend and so this update is later than usual but chapter nine will follow tomorrow since it is written. In the interest of giving people a chance to read this chapter that is why there is the slight delay in posting it. Also, I could get around to maybe posting a oneshot that I've been working on (no angst though so everyone cheer) since I recently purchased Glee, The Complete Second Season box set. Season three is not setting me alight with joy currently so there is a fair chance that that will not be joining my DVD collection when it comes out next year.<strong>

**The only way they could save it now is if they *coughbringbackSamcough* Oh excuse me, I have a terrible cough, :P ;)**

**Thanks for reading and hopefully reviewing!**

**WickedSong x**


	9. Chapter 9

**The Wedding Singer,**

**Written by WickedSong.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Nine.<strong>

* * *

><p>"It was the hug at Nationals that sealed it for me."<p>

"Me too."

"Me three."

"They kept giving each other the kind of look that San gives me."

"You kept looking at her at prom, dude."

"And he told me."

Sam looked to everyone in turn as they told him how they had found out about the not so secret relationship. Quinn had gone first, followed by Mike and Santana, then Brittany, Puck followed and Lauren chipped in at the end.

He could say he was shocked but that would be an understatement. But then he looked around and he wondered how only these six knew out of the eleven. He would have believed that Quinn would have at least suspected something and he had been sure that Puck had as well if his words at the bar – which now made so much sense – were anything to go by at the time.

But this was only because they were both quite perceptive people and adding the fact that Quinn was one of his closest friends as was Puck – and both were close to Mercedes as well – he wasn't as surprised. Lauren knew by association and that made sense too.

It was Santana knowing, and Brittany knowing – although she was oddly in tune with everything going on around her – and Mike knowing that confused him.

"I always thought Kurt would know, and Tina, and Rachel, maybe not Finn, maybe not Artie but..."

"You're surprised that we do?"

Santana didn't look offended when he nodded his head, only gave a look that said 'fair enough'. "Look, I'm not going to lie and say that I figured it out straight away. But that hug was a giveaway. You were practically telling the entire world, 'look there, that's my girlfriend.'"

"We weren't even dating by then. It wasn't until later on that night."

And even though it had been eight years he remembered it vividly. Quickly asking her out on a date, nervously repeating his question when she asked again, moving closer, telling her he really liked her, she telling him the same back and then that first tentative, innocent kiss.

"Whatever," Santana said, waving her hand, as if that wasn't important. "Our main concern right now is making sure you both know what you're getting yourselves into."

"What are you all talking about?" Sam asked. "We both don't feel that way about the other anymore, OK? Maybe if things had been different we would but we don't, we can't. Life doesn't work that way. You just don't date someone for three weeks and think your meant to be with them forever."  
>"If it's the right person you do."<p>

Santana had a gleam in her eye at these words. "Exactly, Britt."

"Well, we're not those people for each other."

Sam's cell phone rang. He took it out of his pocket and found it was Mercedes calling him at eight o'clock at night. He was aware of a quickening of his pulse and of his palms beginning to sweat and of Santana giving him a glare over the table.

"Someone important?" she asked.

"Speak of the devil..." Puck muttered as he looked over at Sam's phone.

"Mercedes?" asked Quinn surprised by this turn of events. "Answer it! Answer it!"

At the urging of the table, Sam answered the phone and walked to the door of the coffee shop. "Hello," he responded.

"Hey Sam, aren't you on the road right now?" she asked, even though she had been the one to call him. She sounded nervous, unsure.

"No, I met some of the group at The Lima Bean for coffee. I'm leaving soon though, why?"

"I want to talk..."

"What about."

"I don't know exactly. Just talk."

She sounded upset.

"Meet me at the park. The one where we used to take Stacy and Stevie," she told him and then quickly disconnected the phone call.

_That wasn't cryptic or weird at all_, thought Sam but he was going to go. He had to go. He had to talk to her. Make sense of where they were.

"I have to go," he told everyone where he came back over, grabbing his jacket and taking his keys out of his pocket, putting his cell phone back in.

"What did Mercedes want?" asked Mike, with that usual look of fake innocence that let him get away with so much when they were younger.

"It was nothing. I have to go. Get back on the road for home," Sam lied. He waved them all goodbye, gave them all quick hugs and said he'd be in contact and be back a few times before the wedding in just over a month.

Quinn was the only one to follow him to his truck.

"Why didn't _you_ ever tell me? I thought we were friends?" As she searched his face for an answer, she cut him off, "Don't say it was because it didn't mean anything, don't tell me it was a summer fling. We both know it was more."

"Because it hurt to talk about it, Quinn." His eyes flashed with the feelings he'd kept buried. "Is that what you want to hear?"

She gave him a hug. "You still feel something for her. I don't know what it is and I don't know how strong it is but she still has feelings as well. I can tell."

Before he could protest, she was back in the coffee shop and he was dumbfounded.

* * *

><p>At the park, Mercedes checked the messages on her phone, waiting for one from Sam to tell her that he wasn't coming after all.<p>

Waiting for him to go away.

Because that's what happened.

She found him and he found her once. He went away soon after.

Wasn't that the pattern their lives would follow again?

Which was why she was surprised when she saw the vaguely familiar truck stop at the side of the road and Sam step out of it. She walked towards him.

"Thanks," was all she had to say before she began to walk, the light wind moving her hair in the breeze. He walked beside her and they were silent for a couple of moments.

He didn't know what to say, and she didn't either. What was there to say?

"It's really peaceful out here. I just love walking and thinking," he managed to blurt out quickly, surprising her but she replied.

"I guess. Sometimes I would just walk for hours out here but that was because I was half expecting Stacy or Stevie to run out from behind the trees and attack me with a hug." She laughed fondly. "How are they?"

"Great," answered Sam. "Stace is in her last year of middle school, Stevie's a Sophomore."

Mercedes gasped. "Don't I feel old now? I was just a Junior when..." She trailed off. "You know..."

He did know and he didn't elaborate.

"So why did you want to go for a walk? Premature cold feet?" asked Sam.

She shook her head. "No, I just felt like I needed to take a walk to the past. It maybe isn't always the best thing but it's simpler."

They stopped when they came to the familiar footpath that led to the play park area. Sam looked at her with a quizzical look. "Race you to the swings?"

"We're grown ups, not children. How you could even think I'd-"

She trailed off as she bolted towards the set, laughing wildly as she did so, quite proud of her deceit. Sam cursed himself jokingly that she managed to trick him and followed after her, running making him feel liberated.

She was already sitting on one of the swings when he got there.

"Beat you!" was her rather childish cry of triumph and Mercedes began laughing, showing true happiness in her bright, shining eyes as she looked up at him.

It was the first time he had seen her this happy since they had met again and there was such a satisfaction in him that he had, in some way, been the one to be the source of that, not Shane, not anyone else, him.

Sam sat at the swing beside her, and that initial moment of noise was gone, but it wasn't replaced by that awkwardness. Instead there was an ease between them.

"So, you and Shane..." Sam said, trailing off when he couldn't quite voice his thought.

"What about us?" she asked, lightly swinging, looking down at the ground.

"I was just wondering when you two met, got engaged, when you knew he was the one?"

"Breadstix, two months after you left, right before school started back. He was new to town and asked for my number. Kurt convinced me to go for it," she answered still looking down, not meeting his eye. "And we got engaged last year. He proposed at Breadstix, quite romantic if you ask me."

Sam nodded and neither commented on the fact that she didn't answer the other question. If he was the one?

Brittany's words came back to him.

"_If it's the right person you do."_

Did he believe in stuff like that? That there was one person for everyone?

He didn't know. Maybe he did when life wasn't as screwed up, maybe he did when things with Quinn in Sophomore year seemed quite easy and good and right and he gave her the promise ring but then that went to hell and so did his belief in long lasting love.

Until...

He looked over to Mercedes, who fiddled nervously with her phone, while they sat in silence.

"What about you? Are you thinking about marriage with Danielle?"

Sam shrugged. "She's a nice person and we have good times together but..."

"There's a but?"

"She's a little controlling. She has to know where I am, what I'm doing and who I'm with. I've turned my phone off now but I know when I put it back on there'll be something like four missed calls and four texts. One will be from my mom or dad but the other three..."

"Will be from her?" Mercedes finished.

Sam nodded. "I know she cares but I've told her and she just doesn't get the message really."

He realised then that whatever he had with Danielle, he had to break off. He didn't feel anything for her really, except friendship. There was nothing romantic there.

It hit him like a ton of bricks.

"Are you okay?" Mercedes sounded concerned but Sam was still in his thoughts until she waved a hand in front of his face. "Earth to Sam Evans! Boy, look at me!"

That snapped him out of it and the way he sat up so abruptly made her laugh, really genuinely laugh.

The second time she had looked really happy since he had saw her.

He grinned again at that, his girlfriend problems firmly to the back of his mind for now. He had a seven hour drive back home coming up soon. He could think about it then.

Looking down at his watch he saw that the time was twenty to nine.

"I'd better go. You know, start getting home."

"I'll walk you to your truck," Mercedes said, standing up and the two continued along the footpath, reminiscing about the times in glee club, she even telling him some of the drama that unfolded in the glee club in the time he was away, including how Santana and Brittany had became a couple, Santana declaring her feelings during an assembly proving to Brittany just how strongly she felt, Blaine's transfer to McKinley and the New Directions and the 'will they, won't they' aspect of the Finn and Rachel relationship which ended in them breaking up at the end of senior year, only to be reunited four years later.

They stood by his truck as Mercedes explained that one. "Basically he got lost in New York and Kurt gave him directions. The crazy boy doesn't knock her door, or call. He climbs up the fire escape and starts to sing Pretending, followed by Faithfully and then finally Don't Stop Believing."

Sam was almost on the ground because of the laughter that threatened to engulf him.

"You're kidding?"

Mercedes shook her head. "I have to admit, once I'd slapped him over the head for doing something so dangerous I thought it was pretty romantic."

"I'm sure you told him."

"Damn straight."

They both laughed.

"Hey where's your car?" Sam asked, looking around.

"Oh, I walked here. Clearing my head always seemed easier that way," she told him. She looked up at the darkening sky and shrugged. "I wasn't expecting it to get dark this early."

"Come on, I'll give you a ride home," Sam offered.

At first she refused but once he insisted, he opened the truck door for her and she stepped inside. Sam walked over to the other side and got in himself.

Mercedes gave him directions and they drove in an easily silence, no more words needed because they had spoken a lot and everything had seemed to have been covered.

And plus, the both of them were trying to decipher in their mind if it really was all over.

They had both insisted this to their friends and almost to themselves but there was that nagging doubt, that _feeling_ in their hearts when they looked at the other.

They arrived at Mercedes' door quickly. "Thanks for the ride, Sam. It means a lot."

"It's no problem," replied Sam and he wasn't sure whether to go in for a hug or handshake. He went to hold out his hand, not wanting to make her feel uncomfortable as he had that morning but she hugged him before he could do so.

It was a tight hug, one that while many would think it signified friendship, maybe meant a bit more.

_A bit more._

They both had to stop themselves from thinking that.

Mercedes left the truck wordlessly and once Sam saw that she had made her way into her home, he began his long drive home.

* * *

><p><strong>I know I said I'd post this tomorrow but you guys are so awesome I brought it forward because I just loved this chapter and writing it and it's my favourite so far.<strong>

**This chapter was so awesome to write! Oh my God, the creative juices were just flowing, flowing, flowing and I have such a clear idea where to go now. Perhaps the internet being turned off for the weekend was a Godsend because chapter eight was a stumbling block and now that I'm way past that and I'm at this point, well, things have heated up as you can see and stuff is happening and ideas are circling my brain. You know when you want to get to a point that you have everything so planned out but you just have no idea how to get there.**

**Next chapter, we get to see Shane (insert sarcastic 'yay' here) and Danielle again (insert real yay because of Sam's thought process this chapter). _Bad, WickedSong_, _you're the writer, you shouldn't have favourites, _I think to myself but then I regret nothing!**

**Hope you enjoyed this chapter and thanks for hopefully reviewing!  
>WickedSong x<strong>


	10. Chapter 10

**The Wedding Singer,**

**Written by WickedSong.**

**Disclaimer : I do not own the song 'The One That Got Away' by Katy Perry from the album 'Teenage Dream'.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Ten.<strong>

* * *

><p>After church with her parents and Shane on that Sunday, Mercedes and Shane were out getting lunch when her phone went off. It was Rachel and Mercedes answered quickly, remembering that her friend had had her callback for Funny Girl and had been expecting to hear back regarding it.<p>

"Who is it?" asked Shane, while Mercedes put the phone to her ear. She mouthed Rachel and put a finger over her lips, signalling him to be quiet while she was on the phone.

"Hey girl, how was the audition? Did you get it?"

Rachel sighed over the phone. "Well, it was gruelling," Mercedes didn't like the sound of that, "and there were talented people, I'll admit, against me for it." Rachel sighed again.

Mercedes felt deflated for her. "There'll be other roles Rachel. You'll make it."

"I got it," Rachel revealed excitedly, her voice going up a couple of octaves. "You are speaking to the lead in the new Broadway revival of Funny Girl."

Mercedes felt pride swell inside her for her friend and said quickly. "That's so great, Rach! You had me going there for a minute. Why would you make me think you hadn't got it!"

Rachel gave a laugh. "I don't know. Seemed like a funny thing to do at the time." If anything about Rachel had changed in the last eight years, it was that she wasn't so blinkered. Yes, she was still very determined and very focused on gaining her dreams but she didn't go about it by blocking out those who she loved. She was definitely a more relaxed person in general, even if she still did sometimes get on the nerves of her friends. "I did the same to Kurt. I think he wanted to kill me just for that."

Mercedes laughed heartily at this. "You know what that boy's like. Well done though, you really deserve this."

"Thanks," Rachel replied. "What are you up to right now?"

"At lunch with Shane," was Mercedes reply. She then smiled to her fiancé. "Rachel says hi."

Shane smiled back. "Right back at her."

"He says hi too. I'll call you later, Rachel, okay?"

They said their goodbyes and then hung up. Mercedes placed her phone back down and began to eat again.

"So, how's your single coming along?" Shane asked. He had returned the day before from his meeting in New York.

"We haven't really started it yet. They know that the wedding's coming up so they've proposed that I wait until that's all over and done with. Then I can focus fully on it. They're being really great about it."

Shane nodded. "That's a good idea. My manager was saying the same thing. We have two more games to go but they're over the next two weekends so I'll be finished by the 22nd. A full month before the wedding."

Mercedes smiled, taking his hand. "Sounds great." She looked down. "So when do you leave for New York again."

"Wednesday this week and Thursday the next week. I'll be back for the Tuesday and Wednesday in between though," he assured her. "I was thinking we could have dinner with both our parents next Tuesday night. What do you think?"

Mercedes thought and she didn't think she'd be busy with anything. "That sounds great."

The song playing in the restaurant became clearer to her ears as the muffled chattering died down slightly and she and Shane reached a lull in their conversation.

"_In another life, I would be your girl, we'd keep all our promises, be us against the world."_

"This song is old, isn't it?" Shane questioned. "Katy Perry? Am I right."

Mercedes was listening so intently to the lyrics that she hardly heard him but she nodded her head. "Yeah. The One That Got Away."

And just when she hadn't been thinking about Sam.

"Are you alright?" Shane questioned.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I need to go to the bathroom. Will you pay for this and I'll meet you at the exit?"

Shane nodded and they two went their ways.

"_In another life, I would make you stay, so I don't have to say you were the one that got away, the one that got away."_

* * *

><p>Sam stood outside Danielle's apartment feeling nervous and hesitant. He didn't want to break her heart and he couldn't get rid of that feeling of being an asshole but he couldn't help this. He had to do it now, or else he'd probably never do it.<p>

He'd probably end up marrying her, end up having children with her and as great as she was sometimes, he couldn't envision a life with her where he'd be really happy. He didn't think real happiness was completely unrealistic and a goal he wanted to reach in life.

He had watched his parents, his grandparents, his whole life. They were couples who were completely in love with each other still, after years and years of being with each other and while they fought and there had been times where the relationship hung in the balance they had always stayed together.

Why couldn't he find something like that?

He knocked the door. He had also been to church that morning, hoping that maybe some prayer would offer him some sort of guidance about what to do. While he hadn't received any visible signs, he had calmed down immediately, after spending the past two days, since he had arrived home, figuring out how he could do this in a way that meant they could remain friends.

Danielle opened the door. "Hey," she said with a smile, opening the door wider so that he could come in.

He stepped in and looked around awkwardly. He had broken up with people before but he could always tell what their reaction would be. With Danielle he couldn't.

He cleared his throat. "I think, I think we need to talk."

She tilted her head to the side and looked tense. "What about?"

Damn, she was making this hard on him. "Look, I really like you," _Wow, Evans, look at you, King of clichés are we, _he thought but powered through, "but I just don't think this is gonna work anymore. I've had a lot of time to think and you're great but we're just not-"

"Just not what, Sam?" she snapped. "What's this about? Have you been seeing someone else? It's Quinn, isn't it? I knew you've been spending more time in Ohio than you really have to for a reason." She shook her head.

"No, Danielle, it's nothing like that. I wouldn't cheat on anyone," he replied, a deathly seriousness in his voice. Since his Sophomore year when Quinn had cheated with Finn he had promised himself that he would never do anything like that. It hurt too much. "There's no one else. This is just about us not being compatible."

She shook her head again, and looked like she wanted to punch him square in the face. She opened the door. "I'm not sure if you're lying to me but I'll find out. Goodbye Sam. I'm sure you'll come crawling back."

Sam sighed deeply. "You're being irrational about this. This is why we have to break up. Because you never trust me."

Danielle didn't say anything back, only opened the door wider and looked at him expectantly, waiting for him to leave.

He did, realising there was no point in arguing with her but mulling over her threat of finding out. What was there to find out? He had not been with anyone else while he was with her. He had been faithful. All he was doing now was making sure neither of them wasted time in something that wasn't going to last much longer.

Did that make him noble or a jerk?

* * *

><p>"Danielle was a nice girl but if you felt you had to do that then I'm not going to argue with you, son."<p>

Sam sat with his father later on that night. His mother was working a late night shift while Stevie and Stacy were doing homework in their rooms.

"I just didn't see a future with her, dad. Am I wrong for doing it?"

"No, you're not." His father shook his head. "You may have had to break her heart now but it's better than realising years down the line when you could've been married, when there could have been kids involved."

Sam nodded. "How's work? How's mom? I feel like I haven't seen you guys for months."

"You see us plenty, Sam. You've gotta stop thinking that you're the one taking care of us." His dad laughed slightly. "Work's good. Your mom is fine. What about you? Apart from Danielle, how is everything else? College applications going smoothly, I hope."

"More or less," Sam told him. "It's hard though. There's all these young people leaving school, seventeen, eighteen, and here I am twenty-four and only just going."

"Doesn't matter when you go, matters what you do when you get there."

"Thanks, dad."

"How are your friends from Lima? I never asked you about seeing them again."

"They're all good. Doing really well for themselves, it seems."

"And Mercedes? What's her fiancé like?" his father asked with a small smile dancing upon his face.

"He seems like a good guy. Good for her."

"Sounds good."

"Yeah."

"Well, Sam," his dad said, getting up and giving him a comforting pat on the shoulder. "keep looking for that girl. I'm sure she's somewhere."

Sam nodded. "I will, dad."

* * *

><p>"I'm having a party for the old New Directions. You and Shane should come by," Rachel told Mercedes later on that night over the phone.<p>

"When?"

"Let me just check. My new rehearsal schedule has kind of thrown everything into chaos. As well as Finn being in New York until a couple of days before the wedding next month so he won't be there." There were noises over the phone as Rachel moved things. Then she spoke. "So I'm thinking two weeks from now."

"I don't know if I'll be busy then. And then Shane has games these next couple of weeks. What date?"

"The 24th?"

"Oh, that's after his last game. It should be fine. Wait, your rehearsal schedule..."

"Doesn't interfere with the wedding, don't worry. I checked. I'll miss the first hour or so of the rehearsal dinner but I'll be back for the actual wedding at the very latest."

Mercedes breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness. You scared me."

Rachel laughed. "I have to go now. I'll talk to you later."

"Bye Rach," Mercedes said, laughing as well. She shook her head. "Crazy girl," she muttered under her breath.

* * *

><p><em>Sam was glad to be back in Lima. It was a strange feeling, considering that the summer before his Sophomore year he had been desperate to go back home to Tennessee and when that had happened exactly a year later he had been desperately wishing the opposite. Lima had that strange effect.<em>

_At first you'd hate being there but the people that you met, the people you grew close to, they made it all worth living in a small town, in a small motel room._

_Now, he was back, exactly a year after leaving but it wasn't permanent. His parents had people they had to see to get job references and they had decided that they all may as well go down to Lima as a family for the day. Sam could see his old friends and so could Stacy and Stevie. It was a win-win situation for all of them._

_Sam was dropped off at The Lima Bean, deciding he'd get some coffee and then walk the short distance to Quinn's home, where she was having a party to celebrate the New Directions winning Nationals. She had invited him after hearing about his visit and had insisted he come along._

_And he almost did._

_But just as he walked into The Lima Bean he was stopped in his tracks by who he could see as he stood by the window. Laughing and smiling, while holding some other guy's hand, Mercedes Jones looked happier than ever. Her laugh, unrestrained and infectious as ever, carried over to the entrance. And from what he could see they were sitting at _their_ table._

_Okay, so maybe it wasn't theirs per say but it was the one where that one potted plant rose high, situated just at the middle. It was so perfectly in that place that they could hold hands, meeting at the middle of the table but no one could see it. If any of their friends passed by, or anyone from school passed by they could pretend that they were only two people who were in glee club who were having coffee together. It worked perfectly in keeping their relationship a secret._

_He saw her, laughing and smiling and moved on and it alerted him to the fact that she didn't really miss him. He knew, Quinn had told him, that she had a new boyfriend but he hadn't really let himself believe it until that moment, until it was right in front of his face._

_He called Quinn and said that his family had to leave earlier than expected and he didn't show up to the party that she had wanted him to come to, instead choosing to walk around Lima seeing the places he used to go. The park, the motel, Breadstix, even the school._

_It was nice to look at the past._

_But he vowed to let go of it then and there. _

_He hadn't dated that full year until he had went back to Tennessee._

_If she moved on, then he would as well._

* * *

><p>Mercedes was with Quinn as she went on a trip around stores, desperately trying to find something to write about for her latest column. She was a fashionable person but Lima wasn't exactly the best place to find something to write about.<p>

Mercedes had to admit she enjoyed it. Since she didn't actually have to be in the studio and the wedding preparation was way ahead of schedule she actually didn't have a lot to do.

"So," Quinn began slyly, "did you hear about Sam and Danielle?"

"What about them?" asked Mercedes, and she kept herself casual about it even if she was intrigued by this.

"They broke up," replied Quinn. "Sam called me last night to tell me. Though I think he was warning me. That Danielle was nice sometimes but also one crazy bit-"

"Warning you?"

"Oh, she thinks he broke up with her because he was seeing me on the side," Quinn answered, and then she scoffed. "Who would want to open that can of worms again? I was a terrible girlfriend to Sam sometimes."

"So you think the past isn't worth going back to?" Mercedes questioned, thinking she could get a little more out of Quinn, about what to do in her own present situation.

Quinn was silent for a moment, keeping a keen eye on the road as she drove. "Not if it's the person you're meant to be with. I'm not meant to be with Sam." She shrugged her shoulders. The two best friends were quiet for a minute as Quinn continued to drive and then she finally stopped outside a store. "You should call him. I think he'd want to talk to you."

"Why?"

Quinn shrugged her shoulders again and simply got out of the car, Mercedes following her.

* * *

><p><strong>I have so many things to talk about in this AN.**

**First things first. TROUTY MOUTH IS EFFING BACK! SAM EVANS IS COMING BACK TO MCKINLEY AND WE ALL KNOW WHAT THAT HOPEFULLY MEANS? YES, SAMCEDES IS MOST DEFINITELY MAYBE PROBABLY BACK ON! Sorry for the caps, my excitement cannot be contained. I was like shaking and crying when I heard the news last night. seriously.**

**That's why this chapter is a bit late. I meant to finish last night but the news derailed me slightly. And because of the news I will finish this but it could definitely lose some of the most angst-filled sections that were coming up. I don't know though, I'M JUST SO SO SO EXCITED!**

**Plus, I broke 50 reviews! Thank you to everyone who has reviewed this and who has remained loyal throughout the story so far and I hope you're enjoying it as much as I am enjoying writing it.**

**I am a strong supporter of Fabreavans friendship. I just think they would go on to become great friends in the future with nothing romantic there because Samcedes have my romantic heart, you know?**

**The song, The One That Got Away has been on repeat and in my head since Katy Perry sang it on The X Factor results song and if Sam wasn't coming back (EFF YES!) then it would be their song.**

**The flashback section was based off the scene in The Notebook. I imagine The Notebook with Samcedes in the place of Allie and Noah all the freaking time. More so, now that he may be coming back, you know? It's like he can say 'it wasn't over, it still isn't over' or something of that effect.**

**Anyway, this A/N is probably longer than the story but hope you enjoyed this chapter.**

**WickedSong xx**


	11. Chapter 11

**The Wedding Singer,**

**Written by WickedSong.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Eleven.<strong>

* * *

><p>"Thank God, I found that place. I was probably this close to losing my job if I didn't get this article done." Quinn sighed in relief as she sat at the driving seat of her car, putting the key into the ignition and starting the engine. "But that'll do nicely. I can get this written up tonight and send it away."<p>

"Are you sure you don't have to be in Chicago. The wedding isn't for a month," Mercedes told her. "I'm sure Michael misses you too."

Quinn shrugged. "Your wedding is more important. Plus, you may not think you've got a lot to do right now but that's what Rachel thought and then what happened the morning of her and Finn's wedding?"

Mercedes nodded, Quinn making a valid point, and she thought back to the morning of the Hudson-Berry wedding, whereupon Rachel was running around like a headless chicken, pacing her room, getting cold feet, almost running, stressing over the fact that her dads were caught in traffic and also that Kurt or Blaine hadn't been heard from, also running late from getting their flight from New York.

"I have to be here when all that starts raining down on you," Quinn assured.

Mercedes smiled. "As long as you're sure."

"Anyway, I may have had the most contempt for this town when I was younger but when I'm in Chicago, I really miss it," Quinn revealed. She then shook her head, "but after being here for a while I do want to get back to the city."

"I can relate," replied Mercedes and the two discussed the paths their lives had taken since they had branched out and left Lima. Yes, a few of their friends did still live here and were content with their lives. Tina, Mike, Lauren, Puck, Artie and even Brittany and Santana, while working in L.A, spent a fair bit of their time back home. Although Mercedes didn't think she'd be opposed to moving back here one day, when she had done all she wanted to do, to raise a family with Shane.

"So, are you and Michael going to be walking down the aisle soon?"

Quinn gave a small smile. "I don't know. I don't know if I even want a family. It took me so long to get over...Beth." She gave a forced smile now, talking about her daughter, who would now be almost ten years old. "I just don't know if I could do it again."

Mercedes put a hand on Quinn's shoulder. "You'll figure it out eventually. Sorry for asking."

Quinn shook her head. "Don't be stupid. You're the one person who I talk to about that stuff, remember?"

Nodding, Mercedes felt grateful for the friendship she had in Quinn. Yes, they had definitely faced their issues after Quinn had given birth to Beth and regained her position on the Cheerios in Junior year but eventually, in Senior year, after Quinn had lost her battle for custody of Beth and Shelby had moved back to New York, they had regained what they had.

Quinn had to say having her support was one of the only reasons she was as sane as she was these days. Of course it could also be put down to the intense therapy she had undergone, as well as the overall support of the glee club and her family, even her father who had came back into her life, after a rocky reunion and apologising.

Things still weren't perfect between them but they were much better than they had been nearly ten years ago and she was thankful for that.

"Do you want dropped off at home or at your parents or Shane's parents?" asked Quinn.

Mercedes pondered for a moment. "Actually, I want to go to The Lima Bean. I need some coffee."

Quinn groaned. "Wish I could join you but this won't write itself."

Once Quinn had dropped her off, and Mercedes had told her sternly to get herself to her mom's home, where she was staying when she was back in Lima, and do her work, Quinn had responded with a quick salute and had started the car driving away from the parking lot.

Mercedes walked into The Lima Bean, through the back entrance and was surprised to see, sitting at one particular table, two young people, perhaps fifteen but maybe sixteen, chatting, laughing, looking very much like they only had eyes for the other. The scene made her smile and made her heart lift. It was nice to see teenage love every once in a while.

The sight, however, as she paid for her drink, caused memories to stir within her.

* * *

><p>"<em>That was a close one this morning," she commented, as she and Sam took seats at their table. Well it wasn't really theirs, but it was the one that they had sort of taken since their friendship began, always sitting there for some reason. They hadn't actually bought anything that afternoon after school but they had wanted somewhere to talk and since all the other members of glee had said that Puck was having a big post-Nationals party, they had decided that it would be unlikely to run into anyone.<em>

_Which was good, since this relationship was currently a secret._

_Sam nodded. "But I don't think they know," he assured her. He reached out his hand, and it was at this point that Mercedes noticed the plant, that one that stood right in front of the window, spiralling up and shielding his hand from the outside world._

_She pointed this out quickly to him, and he had to admit it was pretty cool too, kinda like 'their' thing._

"_So, when do you _want_ to tell people?" she asked, trying to sound nonchalant but failing at it. _

"_When it's right," Sam replied quickly. When she titled her head questioning him, he elaborated. "I mean, at some point we'll just want to tell them, huh? So, I think we get through most of the summer and then we decide."_

_Mercedes nodded. "OK, I can deal with that. I mean, we've only been dating a week."_

"_Officially dating yes, kinda dating, four weeks."_

"_Kinda dating?" She gave him her best 'what are you talking about' face and he grinned._

"_Yeah, yeah," he replied. "You know, since prom, and then when you started coming round to the motel, then the park...Is that creepy?" he questioned._

_She laughed, and playfully slapped his hand, much like she had done when he had confessed to not knowing who Pippa Middleton was. "Under normal circumstances I'd probably say yeah, but it's you, so not really."_

_Because secretly she had been counting the weeks since their unexpected friendship had started and had quickly bloomed into something more in New York._

_Life threw you curveballs like that sometimes._

"_So it's kind of like five weeks we've been 'going out' then?" he asked. _

_She just nodded, and then finally rested her hand on his, shielded by that conveniently placed plant._

* * *

><p>Finding that she didn't have a lot to do in the run up to the wedding Mercedes had asked Mr. Schue if she could help out with his glee club rehearsals, getting the current members of the New Directions whipped into shape for the upcoming Nationals competition.<p>

When she told Rachel about this, the other woman refused to speak to her for two days, thinking that Mercedes was actively trying to ruin Finn's chances with his show choir. Mercedes had merely insisted she was only doing it because she needed something to do, going stir crazy just doing stuff for the wedding.

It wasn't like her to do nothing.

The next day she was going to help Mr. Schue with the arrangements for the solo. The New Directions had made it to Nationals every year since they had left but in the last four years had faced very stiff competition and had lost three of those four times consecutively, always missing out on the second or third place.

Shane was visiting his grandparents so Mercedes decided she would use this as an opportunity to do what Quinn had suggested and call up Sam.

She was interested in how he was after his break up with Danielle. Regardless of the craziness of this girl according to Quinn, Sam had still been in a relationship with her.

He had probably loved her.

The phone rang three times before he picked up and every ring was like a buzzing in her ear saying 'no, hang up' or 'no, you're getting yourself in deeper,' but she didn't listen to it.

"Hello there," was the reply from the deep voice on the end of the line. Not Sam. Yeah, his voice was deep but not _that_ deep.

"Hello. I'm looking for Sam. I thought I had the right-"

"No, he's right here. It's his father. Sam, someone's on your phone!"

"Why did you answer it?"

"It was bothering me."

Mercedes had to withhold the laughter she felt bubbling up at the conversation going on between them over the line.

Sam eventually came to the phone. "Hey, sorry about that. Mercedes?"

"How do you know?"

"My dad may invade my privacy but at least he gave me the heads up," Sam replied but then he quickly added. "Unless you think it's some sort of mind-reading power I have. I would not be against you thinking that."

Mercedes laughed and then gave a sigh. "You haven't changed. Eight years later and your still a dork." She said it meaning no offence.

"Hey!" He didn't sound like he took actual offence. He gave a laugh actually. "So what's up? I know we still have to figure out the song for the ceremony but I'm on it and I'll get back to you when I'm sure-"

"It isn't about that. I heard about you and Danielle."

Sam went suspiciously quiet and Mercedes silently cursed herself, wondering if she should have maybe went into the Danielle thing being a little more subtle.

"Oh that. Who told you?"

"Quinn."

Sam gave a sound of surprise. "Why would she tell you?"

Mercedes didn't want to tell him over the phone that Quinn knew about them so she just settled for, "It came up when we were out today. I just wanted to know how you are?"

When he spoke he didn't sound upset. "I'm good actually. Sure, I felt a bit down about it yesterday and I still feel like a bit of a jerk but I couldn't exactly keep it up."

"Don't feel like a jerk. You're the guy I'd least expect to be a jerk."

He wanted to say how much it meant that she thought that about him but instead decided to go for the casual, "Thanks."

"No problem. It's the truth."

"Thanks for calling. It's just nice to talk sometimes, you know? I have to go now. I said I'd drive Stace to her dance class."

"She does dance class?"

"It's at the community centre. Two bucks every week. She enjoys it though," replied Sam. "I'll phone you about the song sometime this week, OK?"

"Sure, bye Sam."

He said goodbye, then hung up but Mercedes couldn't keep the stupid grin off her face as she stared at the phone.

Yeah, overall he was still the same Sam Evans she had known.

* * *

><p><strong>So yeah, I've kinda been lying to you all in all my oneshots when I said they only dated for three weeks. I took the 'kinda' dating weeks into account. Samcedes for over a month, suckers! Yeah, I had that idea for a standalone fluffy oneshot but it found its way into this story so I'm okay with it.<strong>

**I always go into so much detail with Quinn. She's not one of my most favourite characters in the show but just her complexities are so damn interesting. And I love Quinncedes as much as I love all the friendships, you know, it's like one big web of friendship!**

**So hope you enjoyed and updates will not be as regular as they've been kinda over the past week because school's back on Tuesday. Might get a sneaky chapter in before then though :)**

**WickedSong x**


	12. Chapter 12

**The Wedding Singer,**

**Written by WickedSong.**

**Disclaimer : While I don't actually use lyrics in this, I still feel compelled to tell you I don't own the song Someone Like You by Adele or Can You Feel The Love Tonight from The Lion King by Elton John. Oh, and I don't own Avatar either.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Twelve.<strong>

* * *

><p>Mercedes greeted her former high school teacher with a hug that next day. While in his early forties now - and his face slightly reflected those eight years that had passed - he still looked like the same old Mr. Schue who would walk into the choir room with a big smile, sheet music and a ton of new ideas. Some good, some not so good. Mercedes and the rest of the former New Directions had had plenty of laughs over the years while remincising about some of the ideas that had passed through the room in those years.<p>

Mercedes had arranged to meet Mr. Schue in the choir room during his free period that day, where he was arranging the music for the Nationals solo. A slow, controlled yet emotional performance of Someone Like You by Adele. A classic, he had insisted, that would score them big points with the judges.

When she asked why he had decided to go back to the usual formula of a ballad and then group number, he explained that it was due to that being the winning formula for the years that they had consecutively taken the Nationals trophy. He was looking for that trophy to find its way back to McKinley this year.

Looking over the music, Mercedes felt the past hit her. She had sung this exact song, eight years ago in front of the glee club, having to find some way to let her feelings show in a medium that they would understand. Of course none of them had got the gist of the song and why she was singing it. In the end they had just thought it was because she _could_, because it was a good song, not because it could relate to anything that had happened in her life at that point. That was all part of the pretending it never happened though, wasn't it?

Once the pair had decided on the arrangement, talk floated to that of the changes that had taken place within the school in the past eight years. Most of the staff were still there. Coach Sylvester was still the same but she took a more active role in encouraging glee club rather than trying to destroy it every other week while Coach Beiste still coached a winning football team successfully and Ms. Pillsbury (although she was really Mrs. Schuster now but no one had ever gotten used to that) was still the guidance conseuler. She and Mr. Schue had a son even, a four year old, named after his father.

A lot had changed but a lot had also stayed the same.

It was funny that life had a habit of doing that. Changing so much yet so much staying the same, all the alternations making you oblivious to everything that was still around you, never changing, never leaving, always the same, dependable, reliable.

Mr. Schue asked her about her wedding plans and she told him the details that he asked about - the usual that people would wonder about, the church, the reception hall, the food, the usual things - and he told her that he and Mrs Schuester, along with their son, were looking forward to it.

The bell rang and she said her goodbyes to her former teacher as he went to his Spanish class and she left the school building. As she left she heard her phone ring in her pocket and quickly checked to see it was Sam phoning her.

She found herself smiling - perhaps a little too wide - as she answered.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Sam, what's up?"

"Caller ID?" he asked quickly. She nodded but then realised that he couldn't hear her so quickly replied with a yes. "Should have figured. Or maybe you have those mind reading powers too."

She laughed. "Like I said before, and I'll keep saying, you're crazy." Her tone was full of humour and he laughed at this, over the line.

"I don't have a lot of time to talk. Waiting for Stacy and Stevie to meet me so I can take them home," he revealed. "I came up with a song that you might want for the ceremony - or the first dance, I'm not sure."

"Ok," Mercedes asked, sounding unsure at first but then telling him, "Go ahead."

"How cheesy do you think Can You Feel The Love Tonight would be really?" he asked, sounding unsure as well but gradually more confident in his selection of that song.

"The Lion King? Really?" Mercedes stood out in the sun, leaning on the door of her car now, looking down at the concrete under her feet before answering, "I actually kinda like that."

"Really? I thought you'd tell me it would be too..."

"Cheesy?" she asked, reiterating his word he had just used to describe it. Yes, it was a song that was probably overplayed at weddings or any other romantic event and while it may have never been her first choice she had to admit that it sounded quite perfect for the occasion. "Aren't all the songs for the first dance kinda cheesy anyway?"

"Yeah, but they're classics, romantic, aren't they?" Sam replied, challenging her point.

Mercedes pondered this but before she could reply, she heard other voices on his end. "Is that the little rascals themselves?" She grinned at using the nickname she hadn't used in so long for the younger Evans' siblings.

"Not so little and not so cute anymore, trust me," Sam replied. "Can you two be quiet for a second while I say goodbye!" He exclaimed this to the two, Mercedes assumed and she gave a hearty laugh, remembering that he had always been as parental and strict with his siblings as he had been loving and caring to them. It was what made him such a good big brother.

"Well, tell them I said hello. I'd better let you go now."

"Yeah, I'll talk to you later. I'm planning on coming down to Ohio in a couple of weeks. Rachel invited me to that glee reunion party, so we can talk then about the song," he said back to her.

"Sounds great." She hung up and got into her car, all the while humming the tune to the song he had suggested happily as she drove home.

* * *

><p>"Who was that? And you're going down to Ohio again? It seems like you're never home anymore." Stevie bombarded his brother with questions almost the moment he was off the phone and Sam held his hands up in mock surrender, before starting the truck and driving in the direction of the apartment.<p>

"It was none of your business, again none of your business and I have stuff I have to do. You'll understand one day," Sam replied, simply, trying to avoid the topic.

Stacy spoke up. "It wasn't Danielle, was it?" She sounded genuinely concerned, or was that hopeful, that it wasn't his ex girlfriend.

Sam shook his head. "Nope, Danielle and I...we're different. She's a great girl and she's gonna find some awesome guy but I'm not that guy."

Stevie punched his brother in the arm playfully, probably not the best thing to do while he was driving, but Sam shook it off quickly. "You are awesome, Sam."

"Yeah," Stacy piped up from the back. "But if I can say, Danielle was alright. Sometimes she'd be really nice, other times she'd be over, seeing mom or dad while you were out of town and asking where you were, who you were seeing, all that stuff." She shrugged.

Sam sighed. "Well, that's part of the reason we broke up, Stace," he revealed. "Look, let's just not talk about it." He didn't feel at all comfortable having this conversation with his brother and sister at the present time. "If you must know, it was Mercedes and yeah, I'm going back down to Lima but not for a couple of weeks. Rachel, you remember Rachel, is having a New Directions reunion. She asked if I wanted to go and I said yes."

Stevie made an 'ooooh' noise, like the kind of one an immature child would make, before launching into a verse of that song that went 'sitting in a tree, k-i-s-s-i-n-g' but Sam was spared the singing from his brother - and his sister for that matter. "Do you still like her?"

"Who? Danielle? I thought I told you that I-"

"No, 'Cedes," replied Stevie.

Sam had been hoping he had meant Danielle, even if would have meant explaining something he had just told them a couple of moments ago.

He shook his head quickly. "No, no, we're just friends." He looked at his brother, quickly, before turning his eyes back to the road. "Why would you ask?"

Stevie shrugged and Stacy was the one to answer. "Look, I know it's been a lot of years since you've seen her or talked about her but when you do now, you get this kind of glow about you. No wait, that's not how to describe it. Stevie, help me out."

Stevie gave a grunt. "You look happier than you did with Danielle sometimes. Or any of your other girlfriends. You two would have been something awesome."

Sam was stunned into silence by their observations but quickly regained his speech just as they pulled up in the apartment block's parking lot. "Guys, I know it seems that way but we're two different people now. Not to mention the fact that she's _engaged_ and I'm the one _singing_ at her wedding. There's nothing there."

Stacy sighed as if it were a lost cause. "Quinn was right about you two."

"What does Quinn have to do with this?" Both of his younger siblings looked away from him innocently. "Guys, tell me."

Stevie shrugged his shoulders again. "Just that you two ran around in circles. She ran away from her feelings after you left and you just did the same when you didn't go to Quinn's party in Lima." Sam was about to ask how they knew about that. "We like Quinn. We still talk to her."

Sam spluttered, trying to find words but he couldn't. Obviously his younger brother and sister were a lot more insightful that what he gave them credit for. "Well, that's just not true. Just go, tell mom and dad I'll be in in a minute. Have to make a call."

He got his phone out as Stevie and Stacy left the car.

Quinn answered surprisingly quickly. "Hello." She sounded cool, confident, clear.

Sam could only feel like he had been completely ambushed by her telling his siblings about the party. He had, all those years ago, just told his parents it had been cancelled and they had never bothered to follow it up with any other questions. "Circles, Quinn? We run around in circles? What does that even mean?"

"Excuse me?" she asked but then she realised what he was talking about. "Oh," she replied. "So Stevie and Stacy were talking to you then? Look Sam, I'm sorry. It was a couple of months ago, when I was visiting and I told them she was engaged. They're not little kids anymore. I'm not going to give the excuse of you had to move and she moved on because it's not as clear cut or simple as that. Life isn't as clear cut and simple as that."

"Just a little heads up would have been nice," he countered. "Plus, when did it become their business or even yours?"

"I'm not just your friend Sam. Mercedes is my _best_ friend. So it became my business then. And when you paraded it in front of everyone at Nationals. You're lucky there was the whole issue with the kiss otherwise your hug would have been the gossip fodder," Quinn replied harshly. She didn't mean it to be so mean but she had to get her point across. "And it's because neither of you have even dealt with your feelings. Have you told her yet how much it hurt to know she had a new boyfriend after you left and so quickly? And I'm sure she's not explained how crushed she was."

"How do you pick up on these things?"

Quinn didn't reply straight away. "I can't just see it. This isn't over for her, Sam, and it isn't over for you either, not by a long shot. Three weeks, three months, three years. It doesn't matter how long. All that matters is that you may have moved on, but all you did before that was push everything to the bottom."

Sam knew she was right. "Why are you just a fashion columnist? I thought at this stage you'd be an agony aunt or something?"

Quinn gave a small laugh. "I have to go now. Michael's coming in from Chicago and we're going on a date so promise me the next time you're in Lima, you'll have a proper conversation with her."

He sighed in defeat. "I promise Quinn."

"Thank you."

With that the pair said their goodbyes.

Sam looked down at the steering wheel and thought it over in his head. It had been eight years and he was finally going to have to go after the resolution he had been searching for all this time.

* * *

><p>"Woah, this movie is old," Shane commented as he walked in to find that Mercedes was watching Avatar on the television.<p>

"Take a break from packing and come watch with me," Mercedes replied with some enthusiasm. She did enjoy this film, although she hadn't watched it in years so she couldn't remember exactly what it was about it that made her so eager to watch.

Shane complied and sat down next to her, wrapping her up in his arms and the two nuzzled close together to watch.

Finally it hit Mercedes and she felt incredibly awkward being so close to her fiance while watching it.

She quickly shot out of the hug and stood up, turning the T.V off while doing so. "You know, I just remembered that we haven't finished the forms for the reception hall yet. We really should do them now." She hastily turned to the table where the forms lay.

Shane looked at her confused. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," she assured him.

He took this as her just being nervous and anxious due to everything going on.

Little did he know the truth.

_"I hope you're happy that you have me watching this," Mercedes announced to Sam, as they snuggled closer on her couch and watched her brother's edition of Avatar. It had been raining, odd for the summer time but raining all the same, and she had suggested they watch it, after he had mentioned in the passing that he had had to sell his own copy of the DVD during the financial problems of his family._

_"Oe ma lrr hu nga," had been his reply in the made up language, and they continued to watch the movie, Mercedes not wanting to ask what it meant but knowing it was sweet._

Mercedes looked at her fiance, as they filled in the forms and Quinn telling her that she had to deal with her feelings for Sam, that she had only pushed away, not actually got rid off, came back to her.

She knew she had to. And soon.

Because she couldn't help but grin when she thought of Avatar, and the made up language and those made up words.

When she had asked what he had said he had replied, "I am happy with you."

She had never smiled so hard in her life.

* * *

><p><strong>Ooooh, long chapter is long. And yeah, we're now hitting 'they're gonna have to deal with their stuff now' so that is good. Yet again, I love QuamFabrevans friendship! And Quinncedes friendship! And bonding with the siblings. And Samcedes! Especially Samcedes watching Avatar. I've never seen the film myself though.**

**Erm, not a very long author's note since I'm all worded out with this chapter. Hope you enjoy,**

**WickedSong x**


	13. Chapter 13

**The Wedding Singer,**

**Written by WickedSong.**

* * *

><p>The Jones-Tinsley family dinners were usually a loud affair and this one was no different. The excitement in the air was electric, what with Shane taking part in a championship game the up coming weekend, Mercedes and her deal with a record label and the upcoming wedding. It all culminated in so much noise that everyone was struggling to get words in edgewise. It was a fun atmosphere, something that Mercedes loved about these dinners which had, in everyone's busy lives, became less and less frequent.<p>

"Shane tells us you hired a singer, finally," Mrs. Tinsley said to Mercedes. "Thank goodness. Everything else is so on schedule, I was afraid you wouldn't find someone."

Mercedes nodded. "Well, we did, thankfully."

"And you have your dress? And the bridesmaid dresses? And the flowers and the..."

Mercedes gave a reassuring smile to the woman sitting across from her. "It's all taken care of. It's not all down to me though. Kurt's been a great help, so has Blaine, Rachel as well, then there's Quinn and," she sighed contently, "just all my friends have been great in helping getting this organised."

Mrs. Tinsley gave a sweet smile. "Well, I'm very glad sweetheart."

"Oh and get this," Shane added. Mercedes looked at him quickly wondering what he was going to say. "The guy singing is one of her old high school friends." He looked to her as well. "Was it before I came here that he moved or...?"

Both of Mercedes' parents and her brother, Marcus, all looked up at this in interest. "Who is this?"

"Sam. Sam Evans."

The Jones' shared a quick look, while Marcus looked confused. "That name's familiar. But I don't remember him too clearly. Was he on the football team? And in glee as well?"

"Yeah, but so was nearly every other glee guy," Mercedes told him, hoping they could drop it. Marcus wasn't one to drop something though, especially when he could almost remember it.

"Wait, wait, blonde hair? Green eyes? Did you not da-OW!" Marcus looked in confusion to Mercedes, who had kicked him under the table before he said anything else and then to his mother who gave him a sweet smile but one which masked a 'don't speak' stern expression. He quickly became quiet at this look.

"Can I talk to you in the kitchen, Mercedes?" Mrs. Jones asked, before turning to her older son and telling him, "Just finish your food before it gets cold."

Both siblings complied, Marcus wolfing down the remainder of his meal and Mercedes following her mother to the family's kitchen.

Her mother put some dishes in the sink before turning to her, leaning on the sink. "A month. A full month. You realise that's how long you spent, hardly talking to your friends, or us, after he left? And now you want to open that all back up?"

"It's not like that, mom. We're friends and he sings at weddings now. I don't see why everyone is making such a huge deal out of this." Mercedes was fairly perplexed by her mom obviously preparing to give her the talk that Quinn had also had with her.

"So I'm not the only one who can see it?"

"See what?"

"If you were really over Sam, you wouldn't have had to kick your brother to stop him from telling your fiancé that you used to date him." Her mother folded her arms.

Mercedes shrugged her shoulders. "It just never came up. It never seemed important. It's not like it meant anything."

"You always said your relationship with Noah Puckerman didn't mean anything, that there weren't feelings and you know how I know that you're being truthful about that? The way that you could tell Shane that." Mrs. Jones shrugged her shoulders now, and then placed her hands on her daughter's shoulders. "Why can't you tell Shane about Sam in that way?"

Mercedes conceded. "OK, maybe it's something I need to deal with, mama. But I am going to deal with it, I'm going to talk to Sam when he's back in Lima and we're going to sort it out. And then I'm going to marry Shane and it'll be just like everything that he and I have wanted! Is that what you want to hear?" She gave her mother a challenging look but also one of pleading, like she was asking 'have I said what you wanted?'

Her mother only gave a small but knowing smile. "You know that I only want the best for you, Mercedes. That's all we, your father and I, have ever wanted for you and Marcus. So talk to Sam, baby, 'cause you finally have to put the past to rest. Then, if it's what you really really want, you'll marry Shane." Quickly, she enveloped her daughter in a hug.

"Thanks mom," replied Mercedes. Smiling they both returned to the dinner table where conversation turned to what the families were both up to.

* * *

><p>That Thursday morning, Mercedes drove Shane to the airport, wished him luck for his game, told him she was rooting for him and gave him a quick goodbye kiss. She couldn't make it as she had promised Mr. Schue she would help him with Nationals preparation, as well as Rachel with her rehearsals and Kurt with the new line of clothes he was designing.<p>

Keeping herself busy was the only thing that stopped her from going crazy, as her thoughts ranged from everything, to panicking about the wedding, to panicking about Sam. She found the more she did, the less time she had to actually think about him. She didn't know whether this was a good or bad thing though. Wasn't it exactly the thing that her mother and Quinn had told her not to do. That she had to finally just face things instead of running away whenever she could.

Well, she couldn't face it yet anyway. The conversation she had to have with Sam was one you could only do face to face, not over the phone or by e-mail or even video chat. It had to be done in the flesh.

Her phone rang and checking it she assumed it would be Kurt, Rachel, Quinn or Tina but instead the name Sam flashed up on the screen. She had to stop thinking about him. That was always when he called her.

She answered however, wondering why he was calling. "Hello?" she questioned.

"Hey, it's me, Sam," he replied, sounding happy that she had answered.

"What's up?" she asked, completely unsure why he would be calling. She had approved his song choice before, hadn't she? Why else would he want to speak to her?

Unless he just did want to speak to her.

She had always enjoyed talking to him.

She remembered one of the first times they had ever said more than a couple of words to each other, right after his family's situation had been revealed to the entire glee club.

* * *

><p>"<em>Oh, is that what we're callin' it now?"<em>

_How could she be so callous to someone? Yeah sure she liked the gossip and rumour mill of McKinley as much as the next person but she had taken it one step too far with her comment to Sam in glee._

_Mercedes sighed and lay her head on the steering wheel of her car. Sam had came into glee that afternoon with his siblings and they had sang a song as a group, after helping to buy back his guitar. She hadn't had a chance to properly apologise though._

_Lifting her head and looking at the rearview mirror she could see Sam and his siblings walking up the street. Out of the window, Mercedes could see the sky darken. She took that as an indication of rain. And the three Evans' siblings would have to walk back to their motel room in that weather. _

_Not if she had anything to do with it._

_As they passed the car she rolled down the window. "Sam!" she called and he turned around. He looked at her awkwardly and with a questioning look, as did Stevie and Stacy when they noticed that he had stopped walking. "I think it's gonna start raining soon. Want a ride?"_

_Sam rubbed the back of his neck. "No, it's fine, we can walk."_

_Mercedes folded her arms and gave him a look. When he began to walk away she got out of her car and felt the first droplets of rain fall. She saw that Sam noticed this too because he started to walk quicker._

"_Wait a minute!" she called after him._

_He turned around. "Look, it's raining and I have to get them home and-"_

"_I'm sorry!" she exclaimed, because the need to apologise had been building up in her since she had made her comment the day prior. "I shouldn't have said anything. I shouldn't have judged you so quickly. Why would I think you would cheat? After what happened with Quinn and Finn and seeing how it hurt you I shouldn't have thought it."_

_Sam looked shocked by this. "Look, it's fine, you don't have to feel bad about it. Almost everyone else said something."_

"_Yeah, but...I just wanted you to know that I was just," she looked for a word but couldn't find one to sum up her feelings. _

_Ignored. Replaced. Not good enough for her friends anymore. She couldn't find it._

"_Look, this rain is getting heavier. I'll give you guys a ride back to the motel. It's the least I can do for you."_

"_I don't want pity or charity."_

_She shook her head at him. "It's not charity. It's a friend giving another friend and his brother and sister a ride home."_

_Sam scoffed. "Home? That motel room is a room."_

"_It's where your family are. Isn't that what home is?" she challenged but she could also see where he was coming from. She couldn't imagine the strife and the pain he was going through with his family being in this slump._

_Sam looked back to see Stevie and Stacy looking up at him. "Come on guys, Mercedes is gonna give us a ride to the motel." Mercedes ushered Sam's brother and sister towards the car and Sam mouthed a sincere 'thank you' to her._

_She replied by mouthing 'you're welcome' in his direction._

_The ride to the motel was quiet. Sam was about to ask Mercedes a question before he noticed them pulling up in the parking lot of American Family Motels. _

_That was a quick ride and he noticed that the weather had brightened up considerably, the rain being nothing more than a minor shower that had passed quickly._

_Mercedes climbed out of her car, as did Sam and Stacy and Stevie did the same._

"_Thanks for the ride, 'Cedes," Stevie told her._

"_Yes, thank you," Stacy added, equally as polite as her brother. _

_Mercedes walked with Sam and his siblings to their motel door, again in silence._

_When they reached the door, Sam let Stacy and Stevie in first._

_He turned to Mercedes._

"_Thanks for driving us. My parents took the car this morning. You know, looking for-"_

"_It's no problem. If you ever need a ride or any help with your brother and sister or anything, just call me, ok?" She gave one of her bright smiles his way._

"_OK," he replied, nodding. He leaned against the wall, looking at her. "Can I ask you something? You were gonna say why you were upset? Do you want to talk about it."_

_She shook her head. "It was nothing really."_

"_If you're sure. This whole if you need anything works both ways, right?"_

_Mercedes smiled at him again. She was amazed at how much he was making her smile. "I guess. Maybe one day I'll tell you. I'll see you at school tomorrow. Bye."_

"_Bye," Sam said, and he waved at Mercedes as she got in his car._

_This friendship was the start of something good, he could tell._

* * *

><p>"Are you there?" Sam asked.<p>

Mercedes shook her head, remembering she was still talking to the guy that she was thinking about in such great detail. "Oh, of course. I was just remembering. Did I ever tell you?"

"Tell me what?"

_There were a lot of things you never told him,_ Mercedes told herself, l_ike how you missed him, how you almost called him that one night, how you almost broke up with Shane before senior prom because the thought of dancing with someone besides Sam Evans made your heart do a dip,_ but she didn't say anything like that.

"You remember when I gave your family that ride home? The day after the glee club gave you your guitar back and you sang that Fleetwood Mac song?"

"Yeah," Sam replied. "The start of our friendship."

"I believe the words we used were 'this whole if you need anything' situation," she told him, giving a small laugh. "But yeah. Anyway, I remember I wanted to tell you why I made that comment to you."

"Look that was a long, long time ago. You apologised back then. You don't have to explain it."

"But I do. I was angry because it felt as if Kurt had replaced me with Blaine and then when I thought that maybe something was going on between you two, well, I thought he replaced me with someone he would just cheat on, you know? It hurt a lot."

"Why are you telling me this now?" he asked but then his voice softened considerably. "And I'm so sorry you had to feel that way."

"I don't know. Maybe it's just because I never had the chance to tell you, did I?"

"Well, thank you."

There was silence between them, maybe both were trying to work up courage to say something, anything but they couldn't.

"I'm gonna go now. I'll talk to you at Rachel's party. You're still going?"

"Of course. Wouldn't miss it for the world," replied Sam, and she could tell he had a smile on his face.

She hung up feeling both relieved at having finally got that off her chest, after eight years of keeping it to herself but also unsure where it left her feelings-wise.

Only one thing was certain, this party would be unforgettable for her.

Finally, after years, she would have closure, just like she had hopefully given him there, even if it was a small explanation.

* * *

><p><strong>Yeah, so I had to give you how I believe their friendship began. Oh, and yes, next chapter will be this party and you know what this means, don't you? It's hopefully gonna be one of my longest chapters and will definitely have some fireworks! Might start it tonight depending on what I'm up to and all that jazz.<strong>

**So, I am obviously looking forward to writing chapter fourteen. Hope you are looking forward to it too!**

**WickedSong x**


	14. Chapter 14

**The Wedding Singer,**

**Written by WickedSong.**

* * *

><p>Mercedes knocked on the door of the Hudson home the night of the glee reunion party. She stood on the porch for only two seconds before Rachel opened the door with an expression that read she was happy to see her.<p>

"Mercedes, welcome," the woman greeted her with a wide smile, reminiscent of the one she gave all her friends during that one hectic party during Junior year. It was creepy then and still remained creepy to this day. But it was Rachel. Realisation dawned on her face. "Where's Shane? I thought he'd be with you."

"His team partied a little too hard when they won their game," replied Mercedes, with a small smile. "He got held up in New York anyway, what with press conferences and all that stuff." She shrugged. It didn't bother her as much as it probably should have. Mercedes stepped into the house. "Who else is here?"

"Tina, Mike, Santana, Brittany, Kurt, Blaine, Artie and Quinn just came a couple of minutes ago...Almost the whole gang. Matt's sick so he can't make it."

Mercedes frowned a little. "That's a shame." She then looked down. "Sam still not here then?" she asked nervously. When did she get nervous over Sam Evans?

_Oh stop kidding yourself_, she told herself, _you are always nervous when it comes to Sam._

"He's staying with Puck and Lauren while he's here so he's coming with them," Rachel answered, then smiled to her friend assuringly. "Come on, everyone's in the living room."

It wasn't a formal party by any means but Rachel had been stern about the way she expected her home to still be by the end of the night and that she didn't want everyone getting completely drunk. She wasn't going to limit their alcohol intake with drink tickets this time but she was going to be keeping an eye on everyone. Mercedes had to laugh as Artie explained this to her.

He was now a Geometry teacher at McKinley but he had delved into film making and was still delving into it. Teaching was just his back up plan. He was also newly single, having just broken up with his long term college girlfriend Helen in the recent weeks. He had been heartbroken but also accepting, knowing that there wasn't a clear future for them.

Mercedes assured Artie he would find the girl for him one day and just at that moment the door was knocked at again.

Rachel excitedly ushered them into the living room, while arguing with Puck over her rules for this 'party'.

"Come on, a big glee reunion blow out," he insisted. "I think we're all entitled to let off some steam."

"Yes but we're not teenagers anymore, Noah," Rachel replied, shaking her head. "My house, my rules."

"Finn is _such_ a lucky guy," Puck said sarcastically, earning him a quick slap around the head by Rachel but also causing the rest of the group to laugh slightly. Rachel did look pretty amused, regardless.

"Where is Finn anyway?" Sam asked, and when he noticed Mercedes he smiled at her and she did the same too. He came to stand beside her and Artie.

Rachel smiled brightly. "He's coaching his glee club in New York. Nationals is in a month, you know? He can't go in unprepared."

"Yeah because that worked _so_ well for us," said Mike from his seat on the couch, beside Tina, who he had an arm around. "We wrote our songs the night before, can't get more unprepared than that."

Santana shrugged at that. "I still think that _they_ caused us that loss." The Latina narrowed her eyes in Rachel's direction but didn't actually look that pissed off.

"Finn and I showed passion at the spur of the moment. I believe the judges didn't penalise us for that alone. Like Mike said we wrote our songs too close to competition time," retorted Rachel fiercely but she quickly laughed it off, as did Santana, and the rest of the group.

"Well at least we managed to take the trophy the year after," replied Santana. "Thanks to this girl over here."

Mercedes found everyone looking at her and her face split into a smile. "Damn straight!" she replied and then it was her turn to laugh. "But it was all of us."

"Not _all_ of us," Lauren said. "Sam and I weren't there."

"I was there, just not with you guys," Sam corrected and he could see the faintest of smiles across everyone's lips.

"Yeah, we remember," Santana told him. "You got into Showcase, didn't you?"

Sam just simply nodded.

There was silence in the group until Rachel bounced up from her seat and quickly ran into a room adjacent to the living room.

"Where is she going?"

But before anyone could answer Quinn's question, Rachel returned, holding a DVD. "I talked to Mr. Schue a couple of years ago about if this performance was recorded. Turns out it was by the board that runs the competition for showchoirs."

"What year is this?"

"2011, I think," she answered Tina's question before turning the television on and placing the disc into the DVD player. "He says he can get us all our other performances if we asked. I just really wanted this one for some reason."

"Have anything to do with Finn? And that kiss?" Kurt commented, knowing he was right.

Rachel almost blushed but she quickly answered, "It was just because it was our first time at Nationals. Our first time on that stage. It was a momentous moment. Two years in the making."

Rachel turned it on and after they had been announced Rachel and Finn made their way out of the wings, singing to each other with clear intent and passion. They circled each other, looking carefully. Mercedes and Sam gave each other a knowing look. Clearly they were remembering the same thing.

* * *

><p>"<em>Will we ever say the words we're feelin', reach down underneath and tear down all the walls, will we ever have our happy ending, or will we forever only be pretending?"<em>

_Sam watched Mercedes as she stood nervously at the wings, waiting to go on stage. They didn't have to get into order until Rachel and Finn launched into the second chorus so he took this chance to talk to her._

"_We're gonna be awesome, you don't have to be nervous," he assured her._

"_Is that why you're sweating heavily?" she asked in a teasing tone. "I think we're all a bit nervous. Yeah, they can sing this well and they're doing well but it was written the night before." She looked down. "We've just been so far. It'd suck to lose now – or not even place."_

_Sam took her hand quickly, an action which surprised her. She looked to their entwined hands then to his face. "Look no matter what happens, we'll enjoy it. Promise me you'll enjoy it."_

_She conceded, taking a tighter grip of his hand. "I promise."  
>"Thank you," he replied. Mr. Schue called for everyone to organise themselves and since they were coming on from opposite sides of the stage the pair broke apart quickly.<em>

_They just smiled at each other, nothing else needing to be said as Sam made his way round to the opposite side of the stage._

* * *

><p>The entire group, mentally cursed the pair known as Finchel as they watched 'the kiss that missed' for the first time since it had happened eight years ago. Santana mumbled something in Spanish, while Rachel looked unsure whether or not she should have put the thing on.<p>

But the anger that had been there all those years ago wasn't prevalent anymore however and everyone watched silently as they went into their group number, singing and dancing around the stage as if they hadn't noticed the silence that had fell once Rachel and Finn had stopped singing. It was only when they came off stage and an enraged Mr. Schue had taken the pair to the side that Jesse St. James had told the rest of them what had happened.

Needless to say they had been angry too.

But now, it was eight years ago. It was a long, long time to still be angry over something like that. And as Santana had said at least they had won the year after, even if everyone couldn't be there to share the win with them.

The song noticed and both Mercedes and Sam made special care not to look at each as the camera found them hugging each other, Sam bypassing Quinn and immediately hugging her, not caring if the entire world was watching.

Mercedes still remembered what he had said to her quickly and quietly.

"_Told you we''d be awesome."_

She had just laughed and nodded.

Luckily no one else in the room, except Quinn paid any special attention to this moment and even looked at the pair pointedly. Sam could also notice Puck and Lauren looking at each other and then him, the same with Santana, Mike and Brittany, who all looked equally as interested.

"It's always nice to relieve the good old days, huh?" Rachel asked, as she removed the DVD from the player. "Oh wait a minute," she said as she inspected it. "Mercedes, isn't the wedding on the 21st?"

Mercedes felt her heartbeat pick up a little. "Yeah, why?"

Rachel turned the disc around to face her, and smiled a little. "Nationals was the 21st that year, that's all."

Sam perked his ears up at this. He knew what that meant. That day wasn't just Nationals for him and Mercedes, it was the day he had finally plucked up the courage to ask her to be his girlfriend, after deciding that if Finn could lay it all on the line so could he.

He had also remembered his own words from the hotel room while they had been discussing how to help Finn woo Rachel.

"_If I was in love with a girl and wasn't homeless, I'd totally go for it."_

He had decided that Mercedes wouldn't care, she hadn't cared and he had went for it.

And now Rachel was telling him that, coincidentally, Mercedes and Shane were getting married on what would be their eight year anniversary. OK, so maybe they wouldn't have still been together – _but you might have,_ he thought – but it still hurt him – a lot.

Judging by Mercedes' shocked look however, he guessed that she had no idea that her wedding fell on this door.

Why would she care?

It was just a stupid coincidence, that was all.

Sam looked to Quinn who mouthed 'it's time' before she went to talk to Artie.

Looking at Mercedes, she seemed to have the same thought. "We're just going to go talk about wedding stuff. We'll be back in a minute."

"What sort of wedding stuff?" asked Santana, seemingly acting innocent but Sam could see the intent under her words.

"What songs I should sing and all that stuff. It's not a big deal," he replied quickly before Mercedes had the chance to. He assumed, by her look of surprise at Santana asking the question, that she had no idea that she didn't know. Maybe she still thought that no one knew. "Is there anywhere we can talk privately?" he asked Rachel, who pointed up the stairs.

"Second door on your right should be alright."  
>Santana looked as if she was about to say something, and if Mercedes knew her well enough, it was going to be the word 'wanky', as she was so often fond of that phrase but Quinn seemed to catch this before her.<p>

"So, San, Brittany's told us you signed someone a couple of weeks ago. Do tell?"

Mercedes gave Quinn a small smile, as did Sam and the two made their way up the stairs as Santana regaled the rest of the New Directions with the stories about the talent she had spotted.

* * *

><p>"How long has Santana known about us?" asked Mercedes, as soon as she walked into the room, folding her arms. Sam closed the door. "Is she the only one who knows? Oh God, they all know, don't they?" She looked as if she was panicking.<p>

"Calm down. The only ones who know are Quinn, Santana, Brittany, Mike, Puck and Lauren."

Mercedes looked at him sarcastically. "They're the _only_ ones who know? I knew about Quinn but everyone else? How did they find out?"

"That hug," Sam told her. "Quinn noticed it, Santana noticed it, Mike noticed it."

"What about Brittany, Puck and Lauren then?" questioned Mercedes, wondering how they could have managed to make their relationship the worst kept secret on the planet, especially when she thought they had kept it hidden for so long and no one had ever mentioned it to her, except for a couple of weeks ago when Quinn had obviously told her she knew.

"Puck figured out something was up at prom," smiled Sam. "He told Lauren and Brittany, well, she just knew."

Mercedes shook her head. "That's girl's so damn observant, isn't she?" She gave a small laugh. "I think we need to talk." She looked around and found that this room must obviously have been the spare guest room. She took a seat on the bed in the room. Sam sat beside her.

"Yeah, I know," he conceded. "I guess it's weird that there's still all these unresolved feelings around, for three weeks' worth of a relationship."

"We were more than that, weren't we?" she wondered aloud. "Did you not say-"

"Seven weeks," he interrupted as he recalled that discussion in The Lima Bean. He looked down and felt the urge to hold one of her hands, which were clasped in her lap. He fought this temptation though. They were trying to get away from the past. "Is that why you told me about how you felt replaced by Blaine when he and Kurt started going out, a couple of weeks ago when I called you?"

"I guess. That day just flooded back to me so clearly once I heard your voice. I had to tell you," she answered quietly. She shook her head. "I'm going to go first here. I'm sorry."

"Sorry for what?" he questioned.

"Sorry for never actually getting over you," she told him, matter-of-factly. "I'm sorry for pretending as if you meant nothing to me. You know, I've never actually told Shane about you. In his mind, he was my first real boyfriend. He even thinks he's my first kiss." She shook her head. "But every time I think about telling him I get this knot in my stomach. You and I being together was so special to me and I just feel as if it's something that either we told everybody about together or kept a secret."

Sam looked shocked by this outburst but he nodded his head along with her when she spoke, encouraging her to say the words she felt.

"I'm not gonna pretend that finding out you had a new boyfriend didn't suck because it did," he commented quietly and when she looked at him, trying to figure out what he was going to say next. He could see some genuine hurt in her eyes and he wished he hadn't spoken but he was this far, he had to continue. As he did so he moved further away from her, as if putting up invisible walls between the two of them. "Quinn told me but it never actually sunk in until I came back to Lima. I saw you with him. And it hurt so much. To see you happy when I had been turning down girls because it had never felt right."

He shook his head and Mercedes also breathed deeply. "Maybe we shouldn't have started talking about this," she suggested.

"No, no, it's better to have it all out right now. That way there's no secrets," he said, shrugging his shoulders. "You should also know why I never really got in touch. I missed you. I missed you all. I didn't want to hear about all this awesome stuff going on at McKinley while I was all the way in Tennessee so I made myself busy with whatever I could. I went to school, found work, worked long shifts, looked after Stacy and Stevie, anything to stop myself from calling someone in Lima and finding everything out."

"So you isolated yourself by your own choice then? You didn't care?" Mercedes asked coldly, feeling a little angry at him for this.

He looked at her, equally as frustrated. "No! I just cared too much, about everyone!" He wanted to add, 'especially you' but decided against it.

"Where does this leave us, Sam? You're singing at my wedding, on the same day that-"

"That I asked you out, eight years ago," he chimed in. "It's just a coincidence." He put his hands up. "Not everything's perfect, is it? Maybe we'll always have some degree of feelings for each other because of how we ended, how we never had a chance. But you love Shane, he's the person you chose," he admitted.

She quietly admitted, "I didn't always _want_ to choose him." When Sam gave her a look, she confided in him. "You know, at senior prom, he asked me to dance." She smiled but it looked forced as she remembered. "And I had sworn that I was over you but the moment he asked me all I could remember was Rachel singing Jar of Hearts in the background while you told me I looked beautiful and asked me to dance."

"Oh," was the small sound that escaped Sam's lips.

"But you're right, I've chosen Shane," she replied, shaking her head. Sam sat beside her, dumbfounded. "I just thought that you deserved to know that."

"Well thank you," he replied. "I appreciate that."

"Friends?" she asked, sounding a little unsure as she held out her hand for him to shake.

"What do you mean friends?" he asked with a hint of a smile. "I thought it was this 'if you need anything' situation we had going." He laughed.

And again, he saw that genuine laughter from her, the same he had witnessed that day in the park. But he put it out his head.

They were friends now.

He was singing at his friend's wedding now.

And he would take having her in his life as a friend rather than not having her in his life at all.

They just weren't meant to be.

And that was how she wanted it so there was no room to doubt this decision in his mind.

"Come on, we'd better rejoin the party," Sam suggested, as they both stood. He hadn't realised how he had been on the edge of tears until Mercedes wiped her own eyes, and he did the same with his own.

"Yeah, let's go," she said, once she regained her composure.

She was sure now. She had chosen Shane.

* * *

><p><strong>Do you all hate me now? You all hate me now? You all want to hate me but you can't because you know I have other things up my sleeve. You want to not read the rest of this story but I have made it tantalising for you, haven't I? OK, so I probably haven't and you all probably genuinely despise me with what I've done but please stick with me, ok. I'm not exactly sure how much this has to go but it's not a great deal but there could still be some twists and turns.<strong>

**Plus, this is my longest chapter of the story so far! AHH! And probably one of my favourites to write. That flashback just plays in my mind everytime I listen to Pretending. I imagine Samcedes holding hands backstage and in my head canon, Sam co-wrote Pretending with Finn and it was about Mercedes. Yeah, you can't change my mind.**

**OK, so we'll see what happens next when I update next. Hope you all enjoy,**

**WickedSong x**


	15. Chapter 15

**The Wedding Singer,  
><strong>

**Written by WickedSong.**

* * *

><p>"And then we decided that we're better off friends," Sam recalled, finishing the story he had been telling Quinn about his conversation with Mercedes the previous night at the party. Quinn looked at him with a face that read of not being convinced. He sighed, feeling anger at her for this. "What do you all want from us? We don't talk, you get on our case, we talk, you look as if you want to murder me. What gives?"<p>

Quinn shrugged. "It doesn't matter." She shook her head. "If that's what the both of you want then who am I to say otherwise."

"Why are you _so_ adamant about this, Quinn?" he asked, not caring if he hit a nerve with her. He had to know why she was pushing this so far now. "Do you hate Shane or something?"

She looked down and shook her head. "I wasn't good to you in high school, Sam. I know that. I made you feel insignificant, I cheated on you. And yeah, you could say it was because I was still in denial about needing help after...Beth." The name sounded like it was a struggle. "But you were so intent on being with me and I ruined that. And I thought I had really done some damage to you, especially since you went on to Santana so quickly afterwards."

She sat in the seat across from his, a cup of coffee in her hand. She took a quick sip before continuing with, "And then prom happened. You may have not realised how much you were smiling but I did. And New York and that hug. Sam, you looked so happy. Happier than I made you. Whatever I did to mess you up, Mercedes fixed it. You were both so good for each other."

Sam mulled her words over, hearing the guilt that she had probably built up in her over many years. Quinn still had many demons she faced, even if she tried to convince those around her otherwise. She was strong, though, and she had faced her more persistent fears in her last year of school and the years following that.

"Yeah, she fixed it but then she and I – we managed to move on."

Quinn looked equally as frustrated with him when he said it but managed to keep the words that were on the verge of slipping out to herself. Instead she nodded, seemingly in an understanding way. "You seem to have proven that now. And I'm glad for you. Now you can both go on and live your lives." She added quickly, "And I don't hate Shane. On the contrary I think he's really good to Mercedes and they're adorable together but...but...from my experience there are people you can be happy with and people you're meant for. They're not necessarily the same person – not all the time."

Sam didn't fully pick up on what she was saying. He didn't have a chance to reply because there was a knock on the front door, a consistent and annoying rapping on the wood. Quinn frowned quickly. "Mom's out 'till tonight and I'm not expecting anyone." She shrugged and went into the hallway.

"I knew it!"

Sam would recognise that screech anywhere.

He walked out into the hallway to find Quinn face to face with Danielle, who stood looking infuriated, her arms folded. Quinn turned around, rolled her eyes at him and walked back into the living room, saying to him as she passed, "You sure know how to pick them, don't you buddy? You can deal with this. If I do..." She trailed off as she walked into the living room.

Sam turned to Danielle, who looked at him expectantly. He sighed, and walked outside, closing the door behind him, leaning on it. "What are you doing here? I knew you could be a little possessive but following me to Ohio? Danielle, really?"

She shook her head at him. "Don't flatter yourself. I've found someone else. I just needed to make sure I was right."

"About what?"

"About you cheating on me with your friend," she replied clearly.

Sam felt as if he wanted to roll his eyes at her right there and then but he didn't, instead choosing to speak. "Look, I've told you and I've told you, Quinn is just my friend. Yes, we dated but it didn't work out. I'm sure this new guy is great so go home, be with him, and stop trying to catch me out doing things that I'm not actually doing."

He wasn't sure if she was going to slap him or give him a verbal put down but surprisingly she did neither. She held out her hand. "You're a good guy, Sam."

He didn't know whether this meant she believed him or not but he shook her hand and she went away as quickly as she had came. Maybe she would always believe that he had been cheating on her, maybe she had finally gotten the message. It wasn't the weirdest thing to happen in his life but he welcomed the surprise for it had brought about the closure he needed from the relationship. He had been going around half expecting her to jump out and surprise him wherever he had went since she had told him that she was going to 'find out the truth'.

When he walked inside he found Quinn was standing up. "Is she still there? You need me to show her why I was the Captain of the Cheerios?" She looked ready to lay down the law regarding the Danielle situation but he quickly calmed her down, explaining the short talk they had had.

"So she accepted that and just left? Seems suspicious to me, Sam," was Quinn's response to this but she shrugged it off. "At least she's out of your life now though. I never liked her that much, Sam."

"Really?" he asked in mock surprise. "I wouldn't have known."

She shrugged her shoulders at this. "So...you and 'Cedes."

He gave her a warning look. "Quinn, it's over now. Leave it."

She looked as if she was holding her words back yet again but let the feeling wash over her. She then turned the conversation to a more neutral topic, all the while formulating how she could bring up the topic to her other friend later on.

* * *

><p>"So it's over? Just like that?" questioned Santana when Quinn told her over the phone that night about what Sam had divulged to her. "Yeah, I know Britt. That'd probably be easier."<p>

"What would be easier?"

"Lord Tubbington holding an intervention for them," replied Santana quickly. "Britt just seems to get all the good ideas." She gave a happy laugh and then sigh. "So what's our next course of action?"

"Nothing. He made it perfectly clear that he doesn't want to be with her and she did the same. They're friends."

Santana scoffed. "Friends my ass. They had only been on a talking basis for two weeks before prom and that's where things changed for them." She scoffed again.

"Maybe they're right though, Santana," Quinn conceded. "Who are we to tell them that eight years down the line they still feel anything for each other. It could just be us looking too far into things."

"No," Santana declared fiercely. "I know I talk a lot of crap about the world and how much it sucks – or I used to at least – but I refuse to believe that those two aren't still crazy about one another. Everything's just too definite. They're just too set on this friends thing."

"We're not interfering anymore, San," Quinn warned her, knowing that she was going to suggest something but they had done everything. They had set the chips up and they had fallen where they were seemingly supposed to. Nothing else they did would change it. "They are grown people who can decide. Mercedes has decided on Shane and Sam is either okay with it or wants her to be happy so much he's not going to get in the way of what she wants. That's it."

"But-"

"No buts," Quinn replied sharply. "We support this wedding to the best of our abilities."

"If you just-"

Quinn shook her head. "I'm not doing this with you, Santana."

"Fine," she answered sullenly. "Just know that it would have worked and we'd be watching a romantic reunion that would make even a cynic jump for joy."

"Sounds fantastic," Quinn responded, "but I guess Mercedes is gonna be Mrs. Tinsley."

"Yeah," Santana told her back. She sighed. "I gotta go. Britt's teaching a class with Mike and I said I'd go with her."

The women said their goodbyes quickly, leaving both to think about what they had said.

* * *

><p>"So you talked to Sam?"<p>

Mercedes turned to her mother, as she helped her in the kitchen, where she was preparing some food for dinner. "Yeah, we sorted everything out. Any lingering feelings are now officially gone." She put on a smile, and her mother smiled back. She looked like she wanted to say something, anything but the words never left her lips and Mercedes, not wanting to get into anything about it, let the words remain unspoken.

"What's he up to nowadays? And his family too? Did their situation get any better?" she asked quickly, trying to divert the topic but not by too much.

"Well, he sings at weddings and I think he does odd jobs around the place as well. He's saving for college, since he couldn't go when he graduated," Mercedes answered as she sliced some carrots for her mother. As she was doing so, she continued, "And yeah, they seem to be doing much better now. They have an apartment and both his parents work."

Mrs. Jones sighed in relief. "That's good. They were such good people. It was a shame that that had to happen to them."

"Yeah," agreed Mercedes.

"What were his brother and sister called again? The cute little ones that came over that one time with him and his parents?" her mother wondered aloud.

"Stacy and Stevie, mom," Mercedes supplied, as she sat down at the table in the kitchen and left her mother to finish the dinner, something which she was let off for this one time, since she did seem stressed about the wedding.

"Oh yeah, a lot of S's in that family, huh?" Mrs. Jones remarked, giving a small laugh at this. "They were adorable. Good people, the whole family, very good people."

"The best," Mercedes agreed, quietly, for the second time in that short period of time. "Do you need me to set the table?"

"Well, it would certainly help," her mother said, and Mercedes took this as instruction to take everything she'd need to set the dinner table and head into the dining room.

While in there she thought about everything but still decided that she had made the best decision. She couldn't just leave a relationship that was secure and stable for eight years for something that lasted three weeks – _it was actually seven weeks, you both agreed on that, _a little voice in her head declared but she ignored it – at best.

Why she still thought of him in that way was a mystery to her. The best answer was of how suddenly it came to an end. That was the only explanation. It was like Sam had said the night before when they had talked.

"_Maybe we'll always have some degree of feelings for each other because of how we ended, how we never had a chance. But you love Shane, he's the person you chose."_

It was true.

She continued setting the table, keeping her mind off anything to do with the wedding or Sam or Shane and instead trying to focus on anything else but a memory surfaced and it wasn't long before she was thinking about the Monday after the Junior Prom.

* * *

><p>"<em>I didn't even get a chance to talk to Finn afterwards and Jesse stormed out of the school before I got to him either," Rachel sighed, as she thought about her love life, and Mercedes rolled her eyes at the dramatic way she said it. <em>

"_Be honest, you appreciated the fact that it was two guys fighting for you," she said to her friend and Rachel gave a small giggle but looked down equally as quickly as it had came out of her mouth. "I have to go to my locker before glee. I'll meet you in there."_

"_Are you sure you don't want me to come with you?"_

"_No, I'm fine. I'm sure you have millions of ideas for Nationals in that brain of yours which you're dying to get out there," commented Mercedes and Rachel nodded ferociously._

"_Yes, but it's mostly how to convince Quinn that Finn and I duetting is our best chance. You know what she's like," Rachel said quickly, before walking away, babbling to herself about nothing in particular._

_Mercedes sighed again and made her way to her locker in the now deserted hallway. Rachel and Finn were that couple who just never had their shit together but always managed to get it together before the time ran out for them. It was pretty impressive actually when you thought about it, and about as annoying as anything any of the other glee members could imagine._

"_Hey beautiful."_

_When Mercedes closed her locker door over she was greeted by Sam's smiling face looking at her. She looked behind her. That was when she realised he meant her._

"_Oh," she said. "Sam, prom finished on Saturday when you walked me home. You know, you don't have to keep it up."_

_He looked confused. "Keep what up?"_

_She folded her arms at him, with her best 'diva' face on. Did he really not get what she was saying? "You don't have to call me beautiful. It was lovely for Rachel to tell you to do that on prom but-"_

"_Rachel didn't tell me anything," Sam replied. "Well, OK, that's a lie." Mercedes gave him an 'I told you so' look but he realised this and quickly added, "She didn't tell me anything until we got to prom. And I had been wanting to tell you since Breadstix so, she didn't exactly tell me anything I didn't already know or didn't already want to say." He shrugged his shoulders._

_Mercedes looked at him like he had grown a second head. "You have got to be kidding me."_

_But then it came back to her._

"_Mercedes, I just wanted to say that you look beautiful."_

_He looked a bit nervous, he looked a little unsure, he didn't sound as if it was scripted, or that he had been rehearsing how to say it._

"_Would you like to dance."_

_He had just went for it, and held out his hand, with that smile. That lopsided grin that was so damn adorable and dorky. _

_And she hadn't thought about it twice until this moment, until he had told her for the second time in under five days that she looked beautiful. What was happening?_

"_Well, thank you, Sam. I'm flattered."_

_He smiled brightly at her again._

"_Want to walk with me to glee?" he asked._

"_I'd love to."_

* * *

><p>Her mother jolted her out of her thinking coming behind her with an extra set of cutlery.<p>

"Is Shane joining us tonight?" she questioned but Mercedes shook her head.

"No, he's busy."

Her mother gave an understanding smile. "Well, that's to be expected. Hopefully it'll all calm down after the wedding."

"Yeah it will," Mercedes replied with confidence. They may have been kind of distant lately but that was just preparing for everything and life getting in the way, that was all.

She continued to help her mother with the setting of the table, trying to keep herself out of her thoughts.

* * *

><p><strong>This would have been up much earlier but yet again, my internet was down. Just happens all the time. So anyway, this is the chapter before what I classify is the resolution. Three chapters left to go, guys and they will be long because there is stuff we will need to get through but hopefully it will all gel together well.<strong>

**Danielle is now gone. I know her goodbye seemed kind of lame but I think she would just get tired and believe what she believes now. But we won't be seeing her again, unless there's popular demand for her (which I kind of doubt) so bye bye Danielle.**

**I don't know where the conversation between Quinn and Santana came from. I just wanted a fresh perspective and we know Santana. She will say the truth and I enjoyed writing that conversation.**

**This story was not started with the intention to so many flashbacks but they just come to me and fill in the blanks that I face into the development of the Samcedes relationship between PQ and NY, as well with that little bit of Rumours thrown in there. I enjoyed writing that flashback though. One of my favourites that I've written and we could have a few more coming in the next chapters.**

**And this is a really long A/N because this took so long and because I have a load of thoughts that I need to get out.**

**Next chapter will be up hopefully by the end of this weekend since I'm gonna be starting it tonight after Merlin is finished and maybe even before.**

**Hope you enjoyed,**

**WickedSong x**


	16. Chapter 16

**The Wedding Singer,**

**Written by WickedSong.**

* * *

><p>The house looked set, meticulously decorated and set up for a rehearsal dinner, all ready. Kurt sighed with content as he looked around, taking a quick seat on the couch.<p>

"I am exhausted," he declared. "Good thing we managed to rope Blaine in to helping. I don't think we would have got it all done."

Mercedes nodded her head in agreement, laughing to herself at Kurt's dramatic expression. "It wasn't that much. You just made it that much."

Kurt gasped in mock shock. "Well excuse me for wanting my best friend to have a fabulous dinner before her fabulous wedding tomorrow. You'd think I made some of the problems up."

Mercedes didn't reply, opting not to mention that he had over reacted upon seeing a speck of dust behind the dining table earlier on, or that he had insisted that they move the couch over just a little so that there was more room to enter the kitchen. He was quite a perfectionist when it came to things such as planning, however, and she knew it came from a place where he meant well so she let him get on with it.

"Right, I'm going to go and get dressed. Are you sure you don't want to go home with Blaine and freshen up?"

Kurt waved his hand. "I can make anything look fantastic, even hours of blood, sweat and tears and Blaine...well, he's Blaine, he'll make it work."

She clambered over the couch, giving Kurt a huge hug before running up the stairs of her home, going into the bedroom she and Shane shared and went through her outfit for the night. A standard black dress, slightly modified by Kurt to show off her curves and a bit more skin that she had thought necessary at first, seemed like the right choice for the night.

Shane was at his parents home and would be coming with them just before everyone else was due to come. It was going to be a small affair. Close family, their parents, her grandmother, his grandmother and grandfather, a few cousins and aunts and uncles, as well as close friends, such as the former New Directions, including Sam, as well as college friends who they had stayed in touch with.

It was going to be a good night.

Once dressed, with make up carefully applied, Mercedes made her way downstairs to find Shane and his parents already there. She had been listening to her music while getting ready so that would explain why she failed to hear the door opening or Kurt and Blaine greeting them.

"There she is, the woman of the hour," Mrs. Tinsley commented, looking at the dress and nodding her head in approval. "I like it." She smiled fondly.

"Well, Kurt just altered it a little," Mercedes replied. "Thank you," she said to both Shane's mother and her friend, who stood beside her.

Shane put his arm around her and kissed the top of her head. "Yeah, she looks beautiful."

She didn't reply, only stood by him and talked with his parents and Kurt and Blaine for a couple minutes longer, before the doorbell rang.

Detaching herself from Shane, Mercedes took her fiance's hand and they walked to the door together, opened it and was greeted by her parents, who quickly told her how beautiful she looked in her dress and how handsome Shane looked in his suit and tie.

Agreeing with her parents, Mercedes laughed and smiled, all her thoughts focused on the man beside her, who tomorrow would be her husband.

* * *

><p>"<em>You don't hate the bolo tie, do you?" Sam asked apprehensively as they walked into McKinley High School, the corridors decorated and ready for the junior prom. He kept checking it and adjusting the length of the tie before Mercedes turned to him, telling Rachel and Jesse to go on without looking at them, just moving her hand.<em>

"_I'm not madly in love with it," she replied, "but it's cute. It's you. I wouldn't ask you to take it off or anything."_

_Sam gave a small smile and then looked down at the tie, which he was still desperately trying to fix so that the length of the sides were even._

"_Let me see it," Mercedes said, after giving a mock sigh to him. He knew she wasn't actually fed up with him, and what he probably didn't know was how endearing she found it, but he stood patiently as she quickly fixed it._

_He looked down. "Perfect."_

"_Would you expect anything less?" she asked, her eyes dancing with happiness._

_Sam shook his head. "Of course not."_

_Before either of them could say anything else, Puck came up behind Sam and clapped him on the back. "Dude, we need to be on stage in less than a minute and Artie's already there. Come on." Puck walked past them but turned to Mercedes. "Looking hot," he commented with a sly smile before running down the corridor towards the gym, but not before looking back and giving a thumbs up to Sam._

"_I'd better go then. I'll see you when I'm finished," he said to her._

"_I'm sure you'll find some pretty girl to dance with," she replied, with a smile in his direction before walking to the main entrance of the gym._

_Sam watched her as she walked away; thinking that she was right, probably not knowing that she'd be that pretty – no scratch that – _beautiful_ girl._

* * *

><p>Mercedes stood with Quinn and one of her college friends, Maria, in the living room, drinking, talking, having an overall good time. The dinner was really just a buffet that was would be served in a little while and in that time everyone was mingling, before speeches would be made. Mercedes looked at her watch anxiously, then to the door. Everyone else had arrived and still...<p>

"So what's the dress like?" Maria asked excitedly, cutting into her thoughts.

Quinn obviously noted that Mercedes looked distracted and quickly pulled her away from the conversation after she replied about the dress, into the hallway, where she commented, "You're out of it. Your mind is somewhere else."

Mercedes shook her head. "So not true, Quinn, don't start on me tonight." She placed her empty glass on the table beside her and folded her arms.

But two could play at this game. The blonde woman also put her empty glass down and folded her own arms. Both stared at each other.

"I could this all night, you know. At least until you tell me what's going on."

"Check the time."

"What?"

"Just check the time."

"Nearly eight, why?" Quinn replied, looking to the clock behind her in the hallway. "Everyone's here aren't they?"

"He isn't."

Quinn looked slightly confused, and then realisation dawned on her. Pushing quickly past Mercedes, she looked into the living room and she knew that Sam wasn't there.

"I just assumed he came with Puck and Lauren. I was upstairs when they came," Quinn commented. She already had her cell phone out and was scrolling through her contacts list. "I'll text him. If he doesn't reply in the next ten minutes, I'll call him."

"I was upstairs too. But then I spoke to Puck and he said Sam was making his own way here," Mercedes replied. She leaned against the table and sighed. "I just...it shouldn't take him this long to get here."

"He probably got held up in traffic. Or got lost. It's Sam," Quinn said, leaning against the table, putting an arm around Mercedes. "You're just stressed about the wedding and little things are getting to you. It's common, who can forget the Berry-Hudson Wedding Disaster."

Mercedes had to chuckle at this. "She was so worried about Finn."

"And then what happened?"

"He had lost the address to the hotel and couldn't find it." Mercedes shook her head, laughing, along with Quinn who also laughed. "It's not the same though," Mercedes said quickly, giving a pointed look to Quinn. "It's not like I'm marrying Sam."

"No, you're not. But you're still allowed to wonder where he is when he's almost an hour late. You're friends."

"He told you about our conversation," Mercedes said, knowing that there was no point in asking because she knew it was true.

Quinn only nodded in reply. "How are things between you two? Have you seen each other, talked since Rachel's party. Speaking of, is she here too?"

"Yeah, she got an early flight back from New York with Finn. And they're fine. I saw him a couple of weeks ago. The kids had the week off school so he came down here with his parents for a couple of days. I didn't see them but Stacy and Stevie came over with him."

She let her mind quickly wander to seeing those two 'little rascals' as she had once called them, again along with Sam.

* * *

><p>"<em>So you're really going to be a singer? You were always really good." Stacy was talking at a million miles per minute but Mercedes could keep up. She stood at her kitchen counter, talking to the girl, who was older, and seemed much more mature now than the last time she had seen her eight years ago. Then she had just been a small thing. Now, she was a teenager. Sam had been right when he had said they weren't so little anymore.<em>

"_Yeah, isn't she?" Sam piped up from seat beside his sister and he smiled at Mercedes, a smile she returned. "Thanks again for letting us come here for a couple of hours. I wasn't going to trust these guys not to get lost in Lima for a couple of hours."_

_He went to ruffle Stevie's hair but his brother ducked, causing Mercedes to laugh. "I'm seventeen and she's fourteen. We're old enough, Sam. You treat us like we're children."_

"_I remember a time when you loved all that attention, Stevie," Mercedes said, folding her arms, and looking at him knowingly._

_Stevie shrugged in response to this but sat back down at the table in defeat. "Well, I grew up. I should be allowed to get lost in Lima for a couple of hours."_

"_When you own a car then we'll think about it." Sam had always been so parental with the two of his siblings.  
>"I have my license," argued Stevie.<em>

"_Yes, but mom and dad gave me the car."_

"_Oh stop teasing the poor boy. Give him the keys and let them go for a ride. I'm sure Stevie is just as responsible as his big brother," Mercedes said, rolling her eyes at the back and forth between them. _

_Sam sighed begrudgingly. "I'll make a phone call."_

_A two minute phone call later, Stevie and Stacy were out of the house, told to be back there in an hours time and Sam and Mercedes were sitting in a silence, as the time passed._

"_So where's Shane? The wedding's in two weeks. I thought he'd be here."_

"_He's in New York," Mercedes answered and she continued when Sam gave her a look that asked why. "He has to sort out his contract for next season. He is a professional athlete. I get used to him not being here a lot." She stood up from the couch. "Do you want anything?"_

_But Sam was still stuck on what she had just said. "You get used to it? This guy's going to be your husband, you're going to be with him forever and you don't want to tell him that he's not around a lot."_

"_He knows. We've talked about it," she walked to the kitchen and added lightly, "once." But Sam obviously didn't hear her for when she turned around he was behind her and looked as if he'd take her explanation and not fight it even though every fibre of his being was saying to do so. He couldn't do that._

_He had finally come to that conclusion. He did still feel something and it was strong. And he didn't know exactly when it had been. It had been at some point between his talk with Quinn and a phone conversation with Mercedes that night when they had talked about their futures._

_But he couldn't stand in the way and ruin her life. It was only two more weeks. Then he could disappear as easily as he had eight years ago. That was the best way anyway._

"_Something on your mind? You're not going to argue with me, are you?"_

_He laughed. "No. It's your life. You know what's best for you and I want that for you."_

_Even if that wasn't him._

* * *

><p>Everyone in the room continued mingling, talking, even Mercedes and Quinn, although both had been growing increasingly more concerned for where Sam could be. It was nearing half past eight and they had both attempted to get into contact with him and all attempts had went to voice mail. Quinn had even had some of the others try but none of them managed to get in touch either.<p>

Rachel's voice quickly pierced through the conversation as she stood at the front of the room. "I'd like to propose a toast." She held up her wine glass and it looked as if she had been itching to make her toast for a while. "I'd just love to start by saying that Mercedes, you're one of my best friends. Some of you may know, some of you may not, but in high school we didn't always see eye to eye. We were more often or not in competition and it wasn't until I left high school and saw how big and daunting the world really could be that I had you, and everyone else really cheering in my corner and for that I'll always be grateful. Especially for you." She looked at Mercedes and despite the obvious rehearsed quality of the speech, there was still an emotional gleam in Rachel's eye and a crack in her voice that wasn't accounted for. "And there's never been another guy for you. You and Shane...well, you have what we all have. Someone who's always there, someone who never leaves your thoughts, a soul mate, true love. I wish you-"

Rachel was interrupted by the doorbell being rung insistently and the door being knocked quite loudly. Mercedes and Quinn looked at each other.

"I'm going to go get that," Mercedes said. She gave a quick apologetic look to Rachel, who looked a little miffed that the end of her heart-warming speech had been cut short, and then to the rest of her guests and finally Shane, who followed her.

"I'll come with you."

"No, it's fine, you stay, talk to people, hear the rest of Rachel's speech-" The door was knocked again. "I'm just coming!" She darted her eyes to Quinn who nodded and followed her out the room.

"You think it's him?" she asked and Mercedes shrugged, opening up the door to find Sam standing there, a bottle in one hand and his other poised to continue knocking the door.

"Hey there! I thought I was lost! And then I realised that I don't even know what I'm saying so it's not like I'd remember if I knocked random doors until I found yours." His words sounded slurred and his eyes looked unfocused.

He was most certainly-

"Are you drunk?" asked Mercedes, feeling disgusted that he'd both be late by an hour and a half and come to her rehearsal dinner in this state. "We've been trying to get in contact with you for half an hour. We were all worried!"

"Oh right yeah, just like when I fell off the face of the world eight years ago. Nobody cared then, didn't think they would now."

Despite his drunken state and the fact that she was sure he had no idea what he was saying, there did seem to be some genuine hurt in his eyes as he spoke.

"What will we do?" Quinn asked.

"I'll ask Puck or Lauren if they'd mind driving him. Take that off him." She looked to the beer in his hand. She went to turn around. "I don't want to see him."

"You never did before, so it doesn't bother me now." Sam stood with his arms held out wide and she knew these were the words that neither could say when they were their own sensible selves.

"What does that mean, Sam? You moved, we said a clean break. What did you really want?" She turned around, fiercely asking for an answer to her question because she honestly didn't know anymore where they stood.

"I really wanted to stay, didn't I? I really wanted to be with you," he replied, sounding like he was full of regret, but before he could take another swig of the beer, Quinn had snatched it out of his hands and placed it on the hallway table.

She then looked around to see that the house was incredibly quiet now, someone must've opened the living room door and the conversation seeped out into the party in there and everyone must've heard. There stood Rachel and Finn looking at each other confused, Kurt had a face that had realisation dawning on it while Blaine looked stunned by the outbursts. Artie was quietly whispering to Brittany and Santana, Lauren, Puck and Mike all looked around awkwardly, anywhere but the scene before them. Tina gave a demanding look to Mike, wanting to know what was going on.

"Just go," Mercedes said bitterly to Sam. "And don't bother showing up tomorrow 'cause we tried this friends thing and it didn't work."

"Obviously."

Puck and Lauren both stepped forward, each taking one of Sam's arms. "Come on man, let's go and get you somewhere to sober up." Lauren turned to give Mercedes a smile, one which Mercedes quickly returned but she then closed the door when the three were gone.

She turned to her silent guests and didn't know how to deal with it, didn't know what to say, didn't know how she had gotten here. The worst was Shane. He looked as if he'd been slapped repeatedly. He went to go up the stairs and she sighed. Turning to Quinn she asked, "Take care of this."

Quinn nodded and as Mercedes ran up the stairs after Shane, she could hear her friend saying that the dinner was over and that she'd see everyone tomorrow at the wedding.

That was if there was a wedding, of course.

* * *

><p>"<em>So what do you want to do if you do go to college exactly? Football?" Mercedes asked, over the phone, the night after the party. She had called to find out if he could make the rehearsal dinner and they had fallen into a conversation, about the present and the future. The past seemed to be an off-limits topic, as it would remain to be.<em>

_Sam laughed. "No, I don't think I could do that anymore. I was thinking more along the creative side though. Writing, even."_

"_Really?"_

"_You sound surprised."_

"_No, not surprised, just...I never thought it was something you were really interested in," she said. "But it sounds great, really. What about your dyslexia?"  
>She wasn't sure how much of a sore spot it still was for him so she quickly asked but he surprised her with the ease at which he talked about it. <em>

"_Yeah, I was worried about that but there were some great teachers at my school in Tennessee. They really helped me, plus I've been taking classes when I can these last couple of years."_

"_Well that's great." _

_And she meant it. Their lives seemed to be going somewhere. And with that their conversation changed again, but never going onto the topic of their past together._

* * *

><p>Mercedes sighed as she stood outside the door to her and Shane's bedroom. She knocked on it, then opened it up. "I'm sorry." She had been looking down but now she was looking up to see her fiancé.<p>

"Why didn't you tell me? Why didn't you tell me you dated that guy?" He looked angry, furious even, that she had kept that from him. And though she knew that she was in the wrong she wasn't going to admit it that easily.

"Because I didn't think it was important. I've dated Puck too. Are you going to get angry over that?" she asked, sitting on the bed.

"It's different, Mercedes and you know it. Puck's with Lauren, he's not the ex-boyfriend you conveniently forgot to mention, who showed up drunk tonight." He sat down beside her.

"I want to be with you, Shane. I want to marry you," she said and she didn't think she was telling a lie. She wasn't 100% sure, more like 90.5% but there was no way that she was going to throw this away, not over Sam. She looked straight at him.

He smiled at her. "I want to marry you too. Just...no more secrets, please."

She sighed, leaning against his shoulder. "No more secrets."

And even as they sat there, she could still feel a distance between them. She was right next to him but it seemed as if she could have been a hundred miles away.

There was a knock at the door.

"Are you guys alright in there?"

It was Kurt.

Mercedes stood up, ready to face the consequences of Sam showing up the way he had.

She was ready for her biggest secret to become known.

* * *

><p><strong>Yeah, stuff just got extremely real for them both. I have been planning this chapter since the beginning of the story and I had always been wondering how everyone else would find out. I knew two things. It would be the dinner and it would be from a drunk!Sam but I knew he wouldn't do that, even while drunk so I had this happen. <strong>

**This story has two chapters left and this one was 4000 words almost, one of my longest and definitely one with the most content in this story, maybe tied with chapter fourteen. Next chapter, a lot of loose ends will come together and...well, you'll have to wait and see, won't you?**

**Thank you for all your reviews! Over 90 reviews and I just can't believe it. Thanks to everyone who just supports me and this story. Whenever I reach a stumbling block I just look at your reviews and I feel so inspired.**

**Chapter 17 will be up as late as next weekend but as early as tonight/tomorrow but that all depends. **

**Hope you enjoyed,**

**WickedSong x**


	17. Chapter 17

**The Wedding Singer,**

**Written by WickedSong.**

**Disclaimer : I do not own the song 'Today' which is originally sung by Gary Allen.**

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><p>His head was throbbing. He felt as if he could be sick at any moment and all his bones ached. Sam grimaced as he opened his eyes gingerly, the sunlight pouring in through the windows of the guest bedroom. He took one of the pillows and placed it over his eyes, not wanting to see the sun and trying to block out the previous night.<p>

He wasn't sure if it was his actions or the large amount of alcohol he had consumed the night but he felt more sick than ever. He probably wouldn't throw up but there was a bucket beside his bed if the situation arose.

That was when Puck walked in, with a smirk. "Mornin', Sleeping Beauty. Lauren, he's awake!" His shout made Sam wince and Puck laughed at this. "Should've thought about it last night, shouldn't you?"

Sam turned from his friend. "Can we please not talk about it. I feel really-"

"Embarrassed? Ashamed? You should." Puck nudged him. "Finn didn't give me all the details but Mercedes was pissed and she had every right. She was really worried and you were late because of what?"

"Save me the lecture. I feel bad enough, okay? And now everyone knows."

Both men sighed.

"Don't even get me started on that," Lauren added, as she walked into the room, leaning on the door frame. "It's Mercedes' wedding to Shane and everyone else is shocked because of last night."

Sam groaned, his headache becoming increasingly worse. "Do you have any aspirin?"

He looked up at Lauren to see she had brought in the aspirin and water, obviously ready for that question. "Here you go."

Sam sat up, took it from her and downed it, drinking the water as well but he didn't feel as if anything was easing his hangover. He guessed it would need time to kick in.

"Is the wedding still happening?"

Not that it changed anything. He had messed it all up.

"They're still going through with it. They were fine for a little while last night, but according to Quinn they had a huge argument after mostly everyone left. Then they cooled down." Lauren shook her head. "If you ask me it's a damn mess. But it all had to come out eventually. Just not like that. What were you thinking?"

"Again, I really don't need the lecture. I'm already paying for what I did." Sam sighed. "Just...just give me a minute."

Lauren shook her head, while Puck shot up from the bed and quickly left the room, obviously not impressed.

"He's angry, isn't he?" Sam asked, before Lauren left.

She nodded her head. "He was always rooting for you two, you know? He's a romantic at heart, even if he doesn't show it. I guess we all are."

Lauren then left the room and Sam was left to once again think about his actions. Lying on his back, facing the ceiling, he sighed heavily and then found that Puck had left a pen and a pad of paper at the side of the bed. By mistake or on purpose Sam wasn't sure but he knew that this was his chance to let his side of the story be heard and he wouldn't hold back but he wouldn't be idiotic about it this time.

* * *

><p>"I don't want to have this conversation. At least not today, Kurt," Mercedes demanded, as Kurt hovered around her, setting out everything she'd need to get ready. She looked around at Tina and Rachel and gave them a warning look as well. Quinn, Santana and Brittany sat at the other side, knowing enough to not say anything.<p>

"But, you kept it a secret, a _secret_ from _me_," argued Kurt. "I thought we could tell each other anything."

Mercedes folded her arms. "We were going to tell everyone but then he left and there just seemed to be no point anymore, OK?" She held up her hands. "Plus, it's not like you and I were that close then. We were drifting apart, weren't we?"

Neither Kurt or Mercedes looked at each other. He just wrapped his arms around his friend. "Well, whose fault was that? Mine. And I'm sorry."

"Hey, it was a long time ago," joked Mercedes. "No grudges here. You're my friend now. We're all still friends." She looked around. "I find that kinda amazing."

Everyone managed to give a small chuckle at this and everyone nodded their heads in agreement.

"So, how is Shane?" asked Rachel carefully, poising the question as if she was asking it about his thoughts on the wedding and not what on had transpired the night before.

"He was good before he left last night," Mercedes replied. Shane was staying with his parents and would, as with tradition, meet her at the end of the aisle. He had been angry last night and only Quinn had still been around to hear the argument.

The blonde gave her a small smile of encouragement when Mercedes caught her eye.

Shane had asked why she hadn't told him about Sam and she had used every reason she could think of. He wasn't important, it wasn't a long relationship, she didn't feel anything anymore and she never had. There were so many and somewhere along the line Shane had given up trying to figure it out and had believed her.

Why wouldn't he? She was telling the truth. All of her reasons were true. And she knew if she kept telling herself that she would believe it eventually and she would be able to find her own delusions to be right.

* * *

><p>After finally writing down everything he wanted – or more like needed – to say, Sam made his way downstairs and to the living room where Puck and Lauren looked just about ready to leave for the wedding.<p>

"What do you want? More beer. It's all in there," Puck questioned with a sarcastic tone, gesturing to the kitchen and then holding his hands up. "Just don't be a dumbass and show up at the wedding drunk out of your mind."

"I'm not coming to the wedding and I'm not drinking again, or at least for a couple of years," Sam stated, holding out the two sheets of paper which constituted the long letter he had written. In it all his feelings, his apologies were there. She could do with it what she would as long as it got to her.

"What's that?" Lauren asked, taking it from him.

She went to open the folded sheets up but Sam stopped her. "It's for Mercedes. I want you to make sure it gets to her. She has to know that I'm sorry."

"Why don't you tell her face to face then? I'm not a messenger boy," Puck sneered.

Lauren hit his arm and he winced. She gave him a warning look. "Look, I know we're all a bit pissed at him for being a jerk and showing up the way he did but don't go giving him this attitude. We all care about Mercedes a lot, but we also have to care about him, you hear me Puckerman!"

Puck didn't look scared and instead looked at his partner in something that more resembled admiration. "You always remind me why I love you when I don't expect it, you know that?"

"Don't you forget it!"

Sam coughed awkwardly, not sure what kind of moment he was intruding on with these two but knowing that that note was important.

"Guys, I hate to-"

"Yeah, yeah, we'll make sure she gets it," Puck told him. "But this doesn't mean any of us forgive you, you know that."

"Wouldn't want it any other way," Sam replied, holding his hands up in mock surrender. He knew that everyone was disappointed in him, no one more so than himself but he also had to hope that eventually they would find some way to forgive him, no one more so in this case than Mercedes herself.

"Right, if you need anything, just look for it. No beer though," warned Lauren, as she and Puck made their way to the door.

Sam saluted to her. "Of course, ma'am."

"We'll probably be home late so see you tomorrow morning."

Sam only nodded, not wanting to give a response when he knew that they wouldn't see him the next morning.

They would be gone late so he had time to get packed up and sober up more, and drive home during the night.

He had been accepted to a college in New York to do creative writing and that would be his fresh start. Like he had said the previous night in his drunken stupor – and this was the one thing he remembered.

"_Oh right yeah, just like when I fell off the face of the world eight years ago. Nobody cared then, didn't think they would now."_

With the exception of Quinn, who would probably always berate him for running, there was really no one else who would make the effort again, especially when he had always tried to get away, so he could do it easily again this time.

Make himself unreachable.

* * *

><p>In the chambers of the church, Mercedes looked at her pristine white dress, hanging up, ready to be put on, ready to be worn. She slowly moved her hand up and down the fabric, thinking about everything. She heard the door open and close and looked to find her mother.<p>

She rushed to give her a hug and her mother returned it, running a hand through her hair to sooth her daughter.

"You're shaking, dear."

"Oh, cold feet, I guess," replied Mercedes, with a nervous gulp, pulling away from her mom and walking over to the dressing table in the room. Her mother stood behind her, and began her minor alterations to her hairstyle before bringing the dress over.

"You wanna get changed now? We can wait a little while longer if you want."

"Why would I wanna wait longer?"

Her mom put the dress back on the hanger. "Just know that no one is going to judge you, darling, if what you decide isn't what they expect. Quinn says she has something to give you and then Kurt and Rachel want to talk to you. I'll come back when they're finished. I love you, Mercedes."

"I love you too, mama."

Mercedes had a couple of moments to sit by herself before Quinn came in quietly, in her bridesmaid's dress, her blonde hair pulled up in a ponytail. The dress was a dark red, not unlike the ones that the girls had worn to Burt and Carole Hummel's wedding eight years previous.

In one hand, Quinn had her bouquet of flowers and in the other she had a folded piece of paper. She placed the paper on the dressing table and then put her free hand on her friend's shoulders. She sounded choked up. "You should read it. I know we weren't meant to but...but...it even had Santana crying." She gave a small laugh. "She finally admitted that he had some game."

Mercedes looked at the paper, then at her friend through the mirror and then placed her hand on her friend's own. They didn't need to speak, they had been each other's rocks for a long time, even if at one point they hardly spoke.

Quinn left and with shaky hands Mercedes opened up the letter and began to read.

* * *

><p><em>I'm a jerk and I know it. So please, go for it. Call me a jerk, call me an ass, call me a dumbass, call me any name with any amount of swear words and I know that I deserve it.<em>

"You read the note, Quinn? I thought I said to Lauren-"

"It was beautiful, Sam. Why didn't you tell me that you realised-"

"Because I want her to be happy. And sometimes that means sacrificing your own happiness."

_Because no amount of feelings gave me the right to do that to you or to Shane. Tell him I'm sorry too. Well, I'm kinda sorry. I'm not sorry for making you know how I feel, how I've always felt. So tell him I'm sorry for not being sorry for being sorry. If you know what I mean._

"I don't like to burden points but what if you are her happiness?"

"What do you mean?"

"Men really don't get the hints do they?"

_My real apology is for you though. And I don't think there are enough ways to say I'm sorry for you to forgive me but that's what this note is for, I guess. I don't think either of us expected each other, did we? We both just kind of collided on that junior prom, eight years ago today and it went from there, and even before that, what with you helping my family and everything. I thought it then and I'll say it now; I wish I had saw you before prom, before my family hit rock bottom, before I saw Quinn, before I saw popularity and the football team. Because then we would have had more time. I wish I saw you first._

"Look, it's over. That note is meant to say it's over."

"Really? 'Cause all I see is a guy who's hopelessly in love with her."

* * *

><p>While in the midst of reading the letter, Mercedes heard the door opening again and saw both Kurt and Rachel enter sheepishly.<p>

"What's that?" Kurt asked.

"Nothing," Mercedes replied, placing it on the desk.

"It's not nothing," Rachel told her, walking over. "It's a...letter?"

"From Sam? You want me to...get rid of it." Kurt held it up and walked to the bin.

Mercedes sighed, feeling conflicted but she quickly exclaimed, "No!" She went over and took it off her friend. "I have to read it, all of it."

_They say that when you know, you know, you know? I don't know if that made sense or not. Can we blame it on this damn hangover I've given myself? Too early to joke about the hangover and why it's there. Probably. But anyway, I'm getting off track._

"How did you know?"

"Know what?" asked Kurt.

"About you and Blaine. About you and Finn," Mercedes asked, also looking to Rachel. "How did you know they were the ones for you?"

_I don't think I quite knew what I was in for when you offered me that ride in the rain years ago. And I certainly didn't see this happening when I asked you to dance. I think I saw the hope of something that was going to be extremely amazing and true when I asked you out in New York. I didn't know before that whether you liked me or not. To be honest, I thought you just took pity on me because of everything my family had been through. But no, you surprised me, Mercedes Jones, you always managed to surprise me._

Rachel looked flustered when asked to answer the question and it looked as if the cogs in her head were running.

Kurt instead looked calm.

"I was pulled to him. You know how at the funeral, of Coach Sylvester's sister, she said in her speech about the invisible tether and that no matter how far away you are from someone you can always feel them." Kurt smiled. "You remember Blaine and I broke up after I moved to New York and he was still at McKinley. And we didn't get back together until he moved to New York a year later. That's how I knew. Because no matter what, we were always going to come back to each other."

Rachel nodded in agreement. "We all had rocky relationships. We all still do. It's wanting to still be there that makes you know."

_And when I left. I knew I was leaving friends behind, really good friends, a family even, a second family but I was leaving you behind and even though it had only been seven weeks (because we were kinda dating then, weren't we ;)) it was still a lot to lose and a lot we'd never get back. I can't turn back time and if I could I would go back and stop my family leaving or I would find you sooner or...I don't know. But the one thing I wouldn't do is change any of the time we had. Because it was perfect. _

"Do you know? About Shane?" Kurt asked and there it was. The one question she had always wrestled with.

And she didn't know.

* * *

><p>Sam walked around the guest bedroom, putting clothes in his holdall, putting his guitar in his case while listening to the radio. Whatever station he was listening to was playing country and while it wasn't his favourite genre, he did enjoy it. The stupid thing didn't change station anyway as the turner on it was broken so he was stuck with whatever it was anyway.<p>

_But I do have a few things that you should know. I did purposely cut myself off. I told you that. And I hope you know that you can tell everyone else that and I hope that they don't hate me for it. I didn't want to know about what was happening, I didn't want to know. And I did know that you had a boyfriend. And again, you know this and I did see you one day when I came back to Lima but it wasn't really seeing you that hurt the most. Well, that's a lie. It was seeing you but it was also seeing you in our place. Our table. The table where that one plant reached so high and we could be holding hands and no one would know._

Just as he was about to turn the radio off, a slow song began playing, and he felt like he should listen to this song, that this song would be important and his instinct was right. He sat on the bed, dumbfounded as the singer began.

"_Today, he told her that he loved her, put a ring around her finger and promised her forever together."_

Sam sighed. He just couldn't get away from this if he tried could he? He was trying but everything was pointing back to her and this song was only intensifying the feelings of heartbreak and loss he was feeling. He was losing her today. She was going to be someone's wife. She was going to be Mercedes Tinsley. He tried to say it. Tried to find a ring to it but he couldn't.

"_Today, she smiled for all the pictures and he was right there with her, making all the memories, without me."_

Folding up some more clothes, Sam shook his head. _Just don't think about the eerily specific song that goes with your feelings about today, just don't do it._

_I constantly think about how we would have told everybody. I can imagine us singing a song in glee, and Quinn would be smiling knowingly, Santana would smirk, Puck and Mike would be on the verge of tears and Brittany would tell us that she knew, and they would all tell us that they knew. I never got the chance to be your boyfriend, I never had the honour of walking down the hallway, your hand in mine and being able to tell people, 'See that kick ass woman over there. I can call her my girlfriend.' And all the other guys would be so jealous. And yeah people would've hated us. People would have told us that it was unnatural, that I was white and you were black and that was never meant to happen. But I think we both would have told them where they could go and we would've been happy._

"_And it hurts to say this out loud, looks like she's really gone now."_

"This one is for Sam. Apparently he has some thinking to do."

Sam looked suspiciously at the radio where the DJ had just spoken. This was not a coincidence. And he knew. He knew that somehow, they had set that up. They. Quinn, Santana, Mike, Puck, Lauren and Brittany. Well, he wouldn't fall for it. He wouldn't. He turned the radio off and took his bags down the stairs. It had been a couple of hours since he had woken up and he had lay down and rested before packing since Lauren and Puck had left so he felt much better to go behind the wheel. He wasn't leaving Lima right that second anyway. He would do his usual routine drive of the town, expertly avoiding the church she was getting married in, however and then make his way home before anybody could suspect anything.

* * *

><p><em>I can't get over that. Happy. So I hope you are happy. I hope you and Shane are happy. And I hope whenever you think of me, you smile but you don't get sad, you just smile and know that somewhere I'm smiling, thinking of you too.<em>

Mercedes had tears in her eyes as she silently finished the letter and was surprised to see that everyone had gathered in the room with her.

_When you know, you know._

And she knew now, looking at their faces and re-reading her favourite parts of the letter again. She knew what she had to do.

And for the first time in eight years she wouldn't look back on it with regret.

* * *

><p><strong>How's that for a cliffhanger, guys? Do you hate me more? I suspect you might. <strong>

**So a few things to tell you about this chapter. Puck broke the radio on purpose the night before, Santana called the radio station where she has some connections and they got the song playing for Sam to hear. Funny story about that song. It actually inspired this whole story. And it (along with another heartbreaking song in the same vein called Again by Hadley Fraser) is the reason it was written. No two ways about it. Its incorporation is something I have been planning since before chapter one was written.**

**The letter was heartbreaking for me to write, especially when he talks about telling everybody. There you go guys, that is how I hoped Samcedes would have revealed themselves to the glee club if I had had my way and Chord came back for the start of S3 and they had been a secret.**

**I hope you don't mind the way the letter was incorporated. I didn't just want a big block of text and I kind of wanted to see reactions. We may get a little deleted scene with Santana, Puck, Lauren, Artie, Tina, Mike and Britt's reaction along with Quinn if you want to see it ;) I don't know why Kurt and Rachel didn't read it with them. Just my mind being strange, you know?**

**And finally thank you. I'm going to name everybody who has reviewed, alerted and favoured the story next chapter in the A/N but I reached my 100th review and it inspired this to be written so quickly. Thank you to SpazzyCaro for the review! And to everyone else for their continued support.**

**So, the cliffhanger will be resolved next chapter but perhaps not in the way you all were expecting. That should be updated on Wednesday because the teachers at my school are going on strike and I'm off so look forward to that.**

**Hope you enjoyed the chapter,**

**WickedSong x**


	18. Chapter 18

**The Wedding Singer,**

**Written by WickedSong.**

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><p><strong>Three months later...<strong>

All packed up and nearly ready to go, Sam looked around his living room with that familiar feeling of dread and fear that leaving a place that felt like home and going somewhere new brought. He had felt that so many times in his life but for the first time there was a mixture of anticipation and excitement for what his new life would bring him.

It was finally time to start new and fresh in New York. At college.

Both prospects were scary and not at all like he'd ever expected. College? He hadn't really thought about that. He thought his dyslexia would make it too difficult for him to get in. As for New York, that was a scary dream and he hadn't ever thought about it, not when he had been there eight years ago and not when he had applied even months ago.

But it was there. He was really going.

He was really starting over this time.

* * *

><p>Mercedes found the door she was looking for but it was open and boxes littered the apartment. Some were packed, some were still to be packed. Despite the door being open she still knocked the door, deeming it the politest option. A blonde middle-aged woman came to the door, looking slightly frazzled and busy. But she still smiled.<p>

"Hello darling," she said. "What can I do you for? Sorry for the mess. My son's moving..." Something clicked or must have or, Mercedes didn't know really because the woman turned and hissed, "Stacy, come here!"

Stacy Evans walked up to her mother and gave her a questioning look. "Yeah?"

Mercedes looked at the two feeling awkward and when Stacy turned to look at her she quickly wondered if she had made the right decision in coming here.

Well, she was about to find out.

* * *

><p>"Sammy, someone's here to see you."<p>

"Oh really, who?" Sam asked his sister as she walked into the room, a smirk on her face. He smiled back at her, unsure, but it quickly faded when he saw who followed her into the room.

Chocolate skin, hazel eyes, curls that went past her shoulders.

"Mercedes."

"Sam."

It wasn't unlike when they had met again almost five months ago and yet that felt like a lifetime ago.

"I think mom is calling me. Bye!" Stacy zoomed out of the room, closing the door behind her hastily. The click the door made forced the two still in the room to snap out of their trance-like state just looking at each other.

"I guess you're wondering what I'm doing here," she wondered aloud.

Sam didn't answer immediately, looking for the right words but when he did, he felt as if he had to get rid of the words now or else he'd burst from keeping them in any longer. It was almost like every thought from her wedding day until now. "Of course I am. I thought that letter was it. You're married Mercedes, you married Shane. You can't just show up out of the blue. I thought we were just going to act like we'd never even met and now you're here."

"Give me a minute. I want to explain. I have-"

"I gave you your space. I apologised. I don't want to be a burden or a regret in your life anymore. Every part of me wanted to come to your wedding and tell you face to face how I feel. That wouldn't have been right though." He forced a weak smile. "You're Mrs. Tinsley now."

It hurt to call her 'Mrs. Tinsley.' That cut like a knife.

"If you don't let me speak in the next-"

But he cut her off again, knowing he was probably going to ruin any ties they could have in the future but knowing it was for the best. "No, I'm doing this for us, OK? You should just go. I'm leaving for college in a couple of days and I have packing to do."

She looked like she was angry, furious. He half expected her to slap him and he would take it. He deserved it. What kind of dude showed up at a rehearsal dinner drunk and then sent a note as an apology without any face to face contact?

He did.

But she didn't slap him, only shook her head. "Fine, Sam. If that's how you want it to be between us then I won't bother you anymore. I guess this is goodbye."

And with that she opened the door and walked out the apartment. He hated watching her leave but he was doing it, and he kept stressing this to himself, for them, for him and his fresh start, for her and her marriage.

Sighing heavily, and feeling tears prickle the side of his eyes, he picked up a box, resolving to keep busy to keep his mind off of that exchange.

_It's for the best, _he kept saying, hoping that it suddenly became true and right.

"Son, put that box down right now."

Sam turned to his mother in the doorway and looked down at the box marked _'Breakable – handle with care' _scribbled on it.

"Why?" he asked apprehensively.

She just shook her head at him and he quickly placed it back at his feet. With her hands she ordered him to move it to the side and he did so without question this time.

"You didn't look at her hand and I know why, Sam. Why would you want to? Why remind yourself, right?" _Why was she telling him this_, he thought and he felt angry that she was burdening this point. Yes, he knew. Yes, that's why he hadn't looked. Why was this relevant? "But , unless I'm mistaken, a symbol of marriage is a wedding ring. Sweetie, if you had looked you would have noticed that she didn't have one on."

In about three seconds he formulated a response to this. Firstly he wondered why she was telling him, secondly he realised and by the third he was already running, avoiding all the boxes, down the hallway of the apartment building and towards the elevator. Before he could get there though he just noticed Mercedes get on it.

His next best choice was the stairs and if he was really fast and if those on the floors below all needed into the elevator he may be able to catch her.

This wasn't over. Not yet.

* * *

><p>She wasn't sure why she thought that would've been a good idea in the first place. Of course he wouldn't have wanted to see her. He was still under the impression she had married Shane and that was all her fault. She quickly stopped herself from feeling too much sympathy though. He had refused to listen to her and her pride stopped her from trying.<p>

Maybe it was a sign.

She played it in her head as she waited for the slowest elevator in the world to get to the lobby. Not just that but her wedding day – or the day that would have been her wedding.

She had just finished reading the letter and she had been looking at the faces of all her friends. In an instant she had realised what Sam had been saying in the letter. That when you know, you know. And if she didn't know about Shane when she was about to make the biggest commitment of her life then she had no right to make that with him.

It had been a fairly messy affair and people still questioned what she had done but she had to do it. There had been no fireworks between the two of them though. She had only calmly explained to Shane once she had asked Quinn to get him for her. At first he hadn't understood. And she realised that perhaps this was sudden to him – it had been eight years after all.

But somehow along the way they had been living separate lives. Whenever he was in New York the only time he would have come home was to do with wedding planning or getting together with their families – and even sometimes he wasn't there for that. They were strangers.

And while it had hurt, they had both agreed that their hearts weren't completely in it anymore.

Mercedes was jolted out of her thoughts by the doors opening and she finally found herself in the lobby.

Walking with a steely resolve she was almost out of the apartment complex when she heard someone shouting her name.

"Wait! Wait! Mercedes! Wait! Excuse me, excuse me, I have to-OW! No, wait, I'm okay. Mercedes!"

She turned to see Sam standing up, dusting himself off and running over to her. Everyone who had been watching as he had been shouting and falling down the stairs turned their attention back to their own business and Sam was beside her.

"What do you want? Want to burn more bridges? Go for it."

"You didn't get married. You didn't."

She held up the hand which should have had the wedding ring on it but didn't. "Guilty. I'm surprised but not surprised that you didn't notice."

"Look, I know I'm an ass sometimes and I was definitely one up there but...do you think we could talk about this. What happened?"

She looked up at him. "Want to go for a walk?"

He smiled. "That sounds nice."

* * *

><p>After recounting the story of her wedding day gone awry, Sam still had some questions for Mercedes.<p>

"But whenever I talked to Quinn she would-"

"I told her that if she heard from you she was to mention me as little as possible," Mercedes revealed, shrugging her shoulders. "Following the wedding, I went to New York as much as possible. For the last three months I've been recording and making sense of it all."

"Have you made sense of it all?"

"If I hadn't I wouldn't be here."

He took that explanation and continued walking silently, until they came to a bridge. They both stood, looking at the water. Neither was sure whether to stand closer or move further away.

"So what did you make sense of then?"

"When you know, you know," she replied. "You said that in your letter. I didn't know about Shane. We broke up in college for a while but when we got back together it was never the same. We were so different in the relationship after that, separate people. It's terrible and I'll always look back at the times I had with him and feel happy but," she shook her head. "it's not a regret. It's a memory."

"And what am I?"

That was the question. What were they now to one another?

"You're what I keep coming back to. I asked Kurt about how he knew about Blaine and he said that it was like Coach Sylvester said at her sister's funeral."

"An invisible tether."

They both inched a little closer.

"I don't know what we would have been and you said it in your letter, we can't turn back time and find out," she said, looking straight at him.

It was almost as if he read her mind and he continued. "But Shane wasn't whatever you're looking for and who knows if I am either?"

"But you could be."

"And you could be for me as well."

Again, a little bit closer, that gap almost closed.

"If you're not and I'm not I want to know that at least we've tried," was her quick reply. "Aren't you sick of eight year old ghosts tripping us up?" She gave a small laugh and he joined in.

"Not really. If it brought me back to you." He nudged her shoulder lightly and she returned this.

And yet again, they moved closer, and the gap was closed. Their hands somehow found each others and she rested her head on his shoulder and he smiled down at her.

This wasn't them jumping right back into something. This was taking their time and just standing holding hands and seeing if maybe they'd still be holding hands in a minute. And in the next minute. But neither could deny that it felt kinda _right_.

"So where are you off to for college?" she asked quietly, thinking about what they were, how it would work but she needn't have worried.

"New York," he said, smiling.

"Well, that damn tether's doing it's work, isn't it?" questioned Mercedes, laughing a little.

He laughed along with her and they weren't aware how long they stood there. All they knew was that this was easy. It was something that wouldn't always be easy. But for now it was.

And there was that tether. Always bringing them back to each other.

Where, somehow they knew, they belonged.

* * *

><p><strong>I had you going there, didn't I? Didn't I? Come on, admit it, you thought I had them get married and I was really going to end the story like that. I'm not going to lie, I was so tempted but then I actually depressed myself and didn't do it. I'm not weak, just a sucker for true love and happy endings! :D<strong>

**I hope you all enjoyed and didn't find the Shanecedes break up too random or badly done. I've been kinda building up to distance and separate lives for a while so hope you got that. Was the Shanecedes worth it in the end? You all be the judge.**

**I can't believe that is the story done. Finished. It was the air I breathed for a while; walking up and down from school formulating plots and dialogue and situations. I am going to go ahead with the deleted scene of the Gleeks reading the letter however so keep your eyes peeled for that as an additional chapter.**

**Now to the thank yous. I wish I could thank you all individually but because there are so many who reviewed and added to their alerts and favourites, I just can't get through you all. So thank you. If you reviewed, added to alerts or favourites thank you. Even if you silently read without any that again thank you! You do not know how much it means to me.  
><strong>

**But I have to give a special thank you to my most loyal reviewers and that is; emzjuk, shanti-noel03, mariposafria and Princess976. I am pretty sure that they reviewed all/most of the chapters and I give my undying thank you to them but also to everyone else. I am giving a group hug here and EVERYONE is welcome into it.**

**So thank you for reading and *oh god, I said I'd be cool and not cry* keep your eyes out for that deleted scene which should be posted soon,**

**WickedSong x**


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